Fleeting Blossoms
by Whimsical Gypsy
Summary: In which, a 19-year old Sakura Haruno finds herself hurled into the past, a couple of days before becoming a Genin. Shrinking back to her 12-year old self, she is ready to take on the world with Inner-Sakura as her voice of reason. Accidentally meeting Itachi and a 7-year old Sasuke for a moment wasn't part of the plan. Oh well, time travel mishaps tend to happen once in a while.
1. Chapter 1

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 1: Back to the Starting Line!

* * *

The sun is shining brightly, the birds are chirping happily, the citizens of Konoha greeting each other amicably. It is the perfect day to… spend time with our dear Sasuke-kun!

But no really, a pink-haired girl lays asleep in her pink bed with her equally pink pillows and pink sheets; completely out cold and unaware of the dangers that lay just outside her openly wide windows. She must have left her windows open last night with the pale pink curtains swaying gently against the morning breeze. Her unbelievably long hair forms a semi-blanket on her fragile form, the long strands are just as long as her height.

"…Mmgh… time travel… scroll… war… Tsunade…" she mutters in her sleep, turning over with a frown on her face. She must be having a nightmare or a flashback in her sleep, with the way she toss and turn and her hair scattering across the entire bed.

When suddenly, "I WANT RAMEN!" the pink-haired girl screams, sitting up and jolting awake. The sudden motion nearly startled her and she unceremoniously falls off the bed, dragging her silky magenta sheets with her. "Ouch!" Sakura Haruno, a nineteen-year old time traveler who hails from the Village Hidden in the Leaves and the one and only prized student/apprentice of the Legendary Sucker/future fifth Hokage of Konoha, Lady Tsunade.

"Oh god… Oh Kami! I just had a nightmare! Sasuke running off to some pedophilic creepy snake man and getting molested and Naruto died by the hands of Madara fucking Uchiha! Then we lived in some fucked up alternate universe after his Moon's Eye Plan was a success and then—" the girl opens her eyes and groans at the bright sunlight burning her alabaster skin and jade eyes.

_**Oh my god, will you just shut up! It's fucking six forty-five in the morning and the first thing you do is scream like a crazed Narutard maniac and fall off your bed like the clumsy little genin you used to be! Get a grip Sakura, it's your time to shine and kick some major ass! Now get your pretty little ass up and do some training! There's a reason why we were sent back in time to fix some loop-holes! Screw the academy, we need to make sure we still have our mad skills under Tsunade's tutelage. **_

"Huh—Wha…?" Sakura mumbles, slightly disoriented and discombobulated by the fact that there is a talking voice in her head. The first sign of madness or perhaps a mental illness, Sakura does not know which.

_**Well, duh! It's me, your inner! It's been a long time, but I'll be your guide in this crazy and wild adventure! Since, uh… you kind of lost your memory and… well, you're basically a new Sakura. That explains why you're not the Sakura I know…**_

"Wait… did you just say you're my inner?" the girl shakily stands up and scans her old room. Memories flooding her mind in an instant and the smell of fresh peony invading her senses triggers a nostalgic feeling. Sakura reminiscences for a moment before straightening herself and taking a deep breath before exhaling. Her old dresser still stands as where it used to be as well as her bed beside her huge open windows along with her vanity stand and mirror. She strides towards the floor length mirror and scrutinizes herself. "I look just like… my Genin self from years ago…" Sakura whispers, touching the cold glassy surface.

_**Damn right! And how the hell did our beautiful rosette hair reaches the floor?!**_

"…You're right, Inner! Since when did my hair grow out that long?!" the coral-haired kunoichi rakes through her soft and silky locks.

_**Must be from the time travel… didn't we like, had a mishap or something? When we suddenly shrunk and turned into a twelve-year old, I guess it had something to do with it? Maybe a mutation or a result of time travel? **_

The young Haruno snorts at her inner's monologue. "Maybe… I mean, we did get to meet _him_."

"SAKURA, DEAR! You're going to be late for school!" her beloved mother shouts from below.

_Oh shit, it's time for school already?! _Glancing at her alarm clock, Sakura nearly rips off her white nightgown and runs to the bathroom. Her inner quietly snorts, but decides not to comment. Then looking at the calendar on the wall before jumping into the showers, _Oh well… it's only two days before graduation day. It wouldn't hurt to skip two days, right?_

_**Yeah! We should definitely skip! I mean, we are already Tsunade's number one apprentice, well… maybe next to Shizune, but it doesn't hurt to skip school and train instead! Let's head to the nearest training grounds after breakfast!**_

_Wait, what if Iruka-sensei drops by and tells mom that we didn't show up? That's not good! _Instead, inner snorts once again and Sakura frowns. Turning on the water and lathering shampoo into her hair, she brainstorms on what to do in this timeline.

_Well, I guess I can send a clone in my place instead to avoid suspicion. That should work!_

_**That's a great idea! Now we can show whose kickass this time! CHA!**_

Sakura merely rolls her eyes as she rinses out the shampoo from her hair and nearly using half a bottle of conditioner. She reminds herself to drop by the supermarket later to buy her necessities.

**(^.^)/**

Standing in front of her open dresser in only a fluffy beige towel, Sakura scans all the lined up red qipao-styled dresses with short sleeves or no sleeves. Well, that's a fashion disaster and Sakura scrunches up her face in distaste at her terrible fashion sense. There is no way in hell she will wear that red dress and those dark green spandex shorts and the standard blue ninja sandals. That's just screaming 'bad fashion sense' in the eyes of fashionistas and stylish clothes aficionados out there. Shaking her head, Sakura decides to buy a new whole set of outfit before the day ends and reluctantly wears her old genin outfit.

_**I agree with you! Let's change to a new and fresher look! We dress to kill, sister!**_

Sakura agrees wholeheartedly and combs her ridiculously long hair with an ivory comb. She winces when strands of pink locks fall to the floor. Then sparing a glance at a dull kunai sitting atop her vanity stand, she makes her decision.

…

Another day, another dawn, Sakura Haruno strolls through the friendly streets of Konoha with a blissful and content expression on her face. She already sent her clone off to the academy after greeting her mother with a kiss and cleaning her plate empty. Feeling satisfied, she stretches her arms in front of her and smiles at her new hairstyle. That's right, it took her a good half an hour to braid her Rapunzel-like hair and keep it from touching the ground. She decides not to cut her hair this time, opting to keep it long for a while before cutting it. If she wants to get stronger, it doesn't matter what hair length she has, as long as it doesn't hinder her movements.

Besides, this time, Sakura Haruno is not the girl everyone once knew. She will take on the world with inner-Sakura at her side. Inner cackles madly, plans on top of plans already forming. She also made back-up plans just in case things don't go according to plan, after all the future is limitless with numerous of possibilities. Oh and that includes annoying the resident Uchiha among many others. Sakura smirks inwardly, forming ideas of her own. She can either let nothing happen and let things progress the way they are supposed to or she can change things up a bit this time around.

However, our coral haired kunoichi picks the third hidden option. Screw the timeline and blow everything up with some smashing of boulders and making giant craters along the way seems the best option. Well, stick to the original script and only screw things that will not have a negative outcome or dire consequences. After all, Naruto needs to become stronger in order to defeat Madara and his opponents. Then Sas-gay—er, Sasuke needs to learn to control his power and anger and perhaps accept the truth that his brother is not the antagonist. Too much things to do, so little time…

_If I change things too much, the outcomes will turn out completely different! There are consequences to pay, but if I only change certain things that won't affect the timeline for the worse, then it should be fine. I decided, it's about damn time I become stronger._

Strengthening her resolve, Sakura heads towards the nearest training ground with much vigor. At the same time, she wonders how her clone is coping as well.

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Academy… **

Sakura's clone wonders why her teacher is later than usual, glancing at the hyperactive blond sitting a few rows in front, she snickers. Perhaps he fell for one of Naruto's childish pranks… again. She shifts her gaze towards her ex-crush, staring at his wild chicken ass-like hair. "Pfft…" the clone muffles her laughter, sooner or later someone would notice her odd behavior. She decided not to sit next to Sasuke nor Naruto this time, instead she sits next to Hinata.

"Say, Hinata… who do you like in this class?" Sakura clone asks her seatmate. She fully turns towards the shy Hyūga heiress, expecting her answer.

Immediately turning beet red and stuttering her reply, "W-w-w-what d-d-o y-you m-mean, S-Sa-Sakura…?"

"Come on… you like someone, don't ya?" coaxing her with a grin. "I think I might have an idea…" pretending to look around the class, Sakura successfully manages to make the heiress squirm. Hinata stutters in embarrassment, hiding her face in her hands.

"N-n-no! I-I-I I don't l-like anyone a-at all…!" she squeaks, face flushed and her pearly white eyes wide in shock.

"Too bad, I know you like Naruto _very _much." Sakura gives her a sly smirk and Hinata's face explodes in a colorful array of different shades of red. _Bull's eye! This is good blackmail material! Now, if only I can divert Naruto's attention from me to Hinata, my life would be perfect! NaruHina for the win! _The clone chortles inwardly to herself, ignoring the weird looks from her classmates.

* * *

**Back to the real Sakura…**

It has been approximately six hours since she started her usual training régime. Sakura lays on the solid earth, facing the mid-day sun. Short in breath, sweaty and sticky skin, her once braided hair now a mess, and covered in dirt and grime. She already managed to heal all her cuts and bruises from her wild training earlier. Glad to find that her chakra reserves are much larger than her twelve-year old self—but still not on par with Naruto or Sasuke's nor same as her nineteen-year old self—it was still satisfying to see the ground easily cave in from a single enhanced punch. It looks like she still has all her acquired skills from her older self, enough to make the young girl giddy with excitement.

She turns her head to survey the already obliterated training ground and a wide grin forms across her smudged face. The ground littered with giant meteor sized craters ranging from a three meter radius to six meters wide and ten to fifteen meters deep. Every tree within the vicinity are destroyed and splinters scatter along the ground. The dummies for target practice have seen better days, kunai and shuriken stuck at every inch, leaving nothing bare. It almost reminded her of the cruel and harsh training with Tsunade.

_Ugh… stupid emo flashbacks… and time travel… _Wiping her forehead, she slowly stands up to leave.

_**CHA! We just destroyed one of the training grounds, like a boss! It looked like Tsunade had one of her wild and drunken rampages! **_

_Inner, don't even start… I'm tired, we should go home and wash ourselves then go shopping. _Sakura looks down at her torn and filthy clothes and trudges her way home, muscles sore and covered in grime with her hair looking like a rat's nest. This would be the start of something… new.

* * *

**Well, first chapter done. Short and almost straight to the point, but hopefully I'll make the later chapters longer. –sigh- **

**Not much is explained about Sakura time traveling to the past, but that's another story for later. It's just simple time traveling, not like she used a TARDIS or anything… **


	2. Chapter 2

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 2: Graduation Day and Strange Dream-like Flashbacks

* * *

_…_

_ …_

_ I… really don't remember what happened after falling into the past… all I can remember is that I happen to stumble upon a random scroll in the middle of a war. _

_ …I was fighting against all these weird monster mutations of those disgusting white Zetsu. Oh Kami, there were like millions of them. Sasuke and Naruto were there too and…_

_ The war… yes, the Fourth Shinobi War… it was crazy. The resurrected former Kages helped with the fight and… Madara…_

_ Ugh, that Uchiha bastard was too overpowered. I couldn't do anything… even after all that training with Tsunade-shishō and unlocking the white seal on my forehead… it still wasn't enough…_

_ Argh… I'm so frustrated… Kakashi-sensei and I were useless against the now powerful Madara. He successfully carried out his stupid Moon's Eye Plan and everyone fell for the jutsu. However… Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and I were the only ones remaining. _

_ Only Sasuke and Naruto can stop him now. And then…_

_ Something even crazier happened…! The rabbit goddess herself… resurrected when… uh… is Obito even alive? What the hell happened to Madara? She's so powerful… the tremendous amount of chakra… _

_ And my precious hitai-ate fell into the freaking lava! There goes the ninja alliance. _

_ …Then… Naruto and Sasuke saved Kakashi and I and… well… I saw a scroll just lying there on the ground beside my feet. I wonder what this is…_

_ I opened it and there were characters that I don't understand. I don't think I've seen anything like it. This scroll is different. What is this writing?_

_ A sudden flash of light blinded me and… I was in some weird space-time continuum…? I was floating mid-air and my body was propelling me forwards… towards a light or a portal? _

_Then this excruciating pain of my bones shrinking in size… I feel my body getting smaller and smaller. It was weird, but very painful. I thought I was going to die… some medic I am. _

_I have my eyes closed the whole time and my body felt sore after the whole ordeal. I can barely move, but I managed. I feel more refreshed and my mind cleared. Memories of all those years seem to slowly vanish… I feel anew. I've been reconditioned as a new Sakura…_

_When I opened my eyes… I see pink._

_I guess the portal led me to this world? And before I even knew what was happening… I felt myself falling… down to the ground. Gravity hates me._

_The sick feeling of my stomach dropping was unpleasant. I blinked and saw blue…the sky. The wind whipped all over my body and I can see I'm wearing a white sundress… the sunlight was gentle… but it doesn't help the fact that I'm about to fall to my demise! _

_I opened my mouth to scream, but before my body can hit the solid earth… I disappeared? _

…_Only to reappear a second later a few centimeters above the ground. A swirl of pink covered my vision and I realized I just teleported with cherry blossom petals surrounding me. What the hell…? Why am I so calm? An ordinary person would have freaked out by now and have a panic attack. I can somehow hear a voice snickering in my head. Must be my imagination…_

_When the petals scattered in the blowing wind and settled on the ground, I saw… him. The last person I would ever had the pleasure to meet. Oh, and it doesn't help that there's a little kid standing just a few feet in front of me, gaping unabashedly. What? Surprised that a pink-haired girl fell from the sky just moments ago? Sigh… _

**…(^.^)…**

It was just another normal day in the Uchiha household. Fugaku already left for work while Mikoto is busy tending to her youngest son. Itachi Uchiha, child prodigy and only twelve years old at that time, stands outside the compound as he waits patiently for his younger brother. After all, it is the first day of school for little Sasuke and he wants to accompany his brother, at least for today. Heaps of missions have prevented him from spending too much time with Sasuke and his family for that matter, it is not an easy job for the soon-to-be ANBU captain. Plus, the upcoming and inevitable onslaught is just a year ahead. However, let's just enjoy one more year with the Uchihas.

The pacifist stares at the newly bloomed cherry blossom trees. Their pink petals floating gently to the ground. The trees sway gently against the breeze, causing thousands of petals to scatter everywhere. Indeed, it is a beautiful sight during the spring in Konoha. A peaceful village with a stern yet kind Hokage to lead them.

Closing his eyes as he lets himself relax against the wind and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms, he jerks awake when a loud and squeaky voice calls out his name lovingly. A flock of birds from a nearby tree flew away from the loud disturbance.

"Big brother Itachi!" little seven-year old emo boy—er, Sasuke screeches as he runs towards his precious idol/older brother. His big and bright coal-black eyes staring at the taller figure as if worshipping him like a god.

"Aa. Foolish little brother, do not shout so loud." Itachi gives his little brother his signature move, poking him on the forehead. Sasuke momentarily frowns and swats his hand away with a huff.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, big brother! Stop doing that!" Sasuke puffs his cheeks out in anger, swatting his brother's hand once again.

"I am sure you are still a little child, foolish little brother." Itachi replies coolly, yet the expression on his face is gentle and loving. Sasuke lets out a growl, but Itachi pats his head and turns around. "We should go now if you do not want to be late, Sasuke."

Already several feet ahead, Sasuke runs to catch up with his brother. The two brothers walk together in a comfortable silence, staring straight ahead. This marks a special moment between the two. The cherry blossom trees swaying gently under the clear azure heavens and Sasuke turns his gaze beyond the pink trees. His face twists into distaste upon seeing the color pink everywhere. The trees are pretty, but the color itself did not please him very much.

Itachi glances at his little brother and chuckles quietly at the expression on his face. They continue to walk the empty dirt path that leads to the bustling streets.

'_Cause she's so high_

When out of nowhere, a pink burst of light flashes across the sky, scaring a flying crow nearby. The poor black bird careens towards the solid ground, but unfortunately crashes into one of the buildings. "Caw! Caw!" the brothers can hear its faint, yet annoying screech as it crashes into a glass window of a building.

_High above me, she's so lovely_

The flash disappears and in place a circle or a portal opens up and Sasuke rushes forward. Itachi tries to stop him, but fails to do so. Not only that but a small person… a girl fell from said opening. Sasuke picks up his pace as the young girl falls from the sky and the portal vanishes into thin air.

_She's so high_

Itachi stops in his tracks to stare at the falling rose-haired beauty. Her wild and ridiculously long pink hair—the color of cherry blossoms—flutters wildly around her like a whip-lash as well as the white dress she wears. Most importantly, her vivid cherry blossom hair and… where is Sasuke? The older brother shifts his gaze towards the small figure standing several yards away, standing and staring at the girl above.

_Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc or Aphrodite_

When it finally registers into the young prodigy's mind, he rushes forward with such speed to catch the mysterious pink-haired girl or perhaps to save his little brother from being squished by said falling figure.

_She's so high, high above me_

However, some kind of magic occurred in front of their very own eyes. When Itachi blinked, she was gone, only a second later to find her hovering above the grassy ground, surrounded by a tornado of cherry blossoms. It was a captivating and a magical sight, even little Sasuke have his mouth open while standing a few feet away from her. Itachi blinks and slowly walks towards the young girl. Who is she?

"W-what… big brother, did you see that?! She-she just fell…! Just like that! And then… she was gone and…" the younger Uchiha rambles, glancing back and forth between the coral-haired kunoichi and his beloved brother. Itachi did not reply and continues to assess the young girl. She looks younger than him, but older than Sasuke. Her delicate features tells him that she is probably no less than a year younger and what is with the vibrant pink hair?

"H-hey… who are you, miss…?" his little brother takes a tentative step towards her and Itachi is on his guard. She could be a spy from another village for all he knows.

"…Sasuke." The little boy spares him a glance before cautiously approaching the girl. Itachi closes his eyes and lets out a small sigh. Of course, stubborn and foolish little Sasuke would not listen to him.

"Ugh… where am I? Did I just seriously fell from the sky?" Sakura mutters, checking for wounds before looking up and locking gazes with those familiar onyx abyss. _Great, I am looking at bratty tiny Sasuke Uchiha and… his infamous older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Why does the world hate me? I think all my haters are laughing at my misfortune right now…_

"Who are you?" the younger one blurts out and Itachi hurries at his side. Sakura blinks at the straight-forward question, contemplating whether or not she should reply.

"Hn."

Instead of giving a response, "You are hot, Itachi Uchiha. No wonder you have millions of fan girls after your sweet ass." Sakura smiles innocently and gives him a flirty wink, completely disregarding the younger Uchiha as she focuses on the future Akatsuki member.

The utter look of horror across the prodigy's face is enough for Sakura to burst into laughter while Sasuke stares at her in confusion. "HAHAHAH! Well, sad to say, but… I can't stay any longer, sweetie. Got to catch my ride." She winks coyly at him, never faltering her smile. "May we meet again… if fate allows it, Itachi." With that, Sakura once again disappears in a burst of light and cherry blossoms. That was how Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha met the mysterious pink-haired kunoichi for the first time. Leaving them both befuddled and wondering how she knows Itachi's name.

However… Sakura already slightly changed the timeline with her unprecedented appearance, fortunately the younger Uchiha would soon forget her existence. The older one on the other hand…

* * *

Sakura slowly opens her eyes, letting them adjust to the bright light filtering her room. Then she suddenly turns and rolls off her bed, falling onto the solid wooden floor. She needs to wake up after that crazy dream/flashback; wincing when she remembers the excruciating pain of her bones shrinking in size. Letting out a sigh, the young girl picks herself up and stretches her limbs.

Letting out a big yawn, she stares outside the window. "I think today is graduation day…"

_**Damn right it is, two days have passed since then! What are we waiting for?! Put on your new outfit and show the world how awesome we are! **_

Ignoring her inner's spontaneous outburst, Sakura decides to take a warm shower before getting ready to head to the academy. After a half an hour later and making sure there's enough time to prepare, Sakura stands in front of her mirror with renewed confidence. Inner eagerly agrees with the new look and Sakura smirks smugly.

Her outfit consists of a black fitting shirt underneath a red qipao-styled top, pairing it off with mid-thigh length black spandex shorts under a white unzipped skirt; it reminded her of the light pink one the older Sakura wore. Then she decided to keep the knee-length black ninja boots with a one inch heel for extra damage and made sure to wear her chakra infused bracelets/weights around both wrists. She needs them for training and improving her speed. Pouring a good amount of chakra into the marble sized beads, she can feel its weight getting heavier. Testing the weight on both arms, she decides to fill up the beads; which was a terrible idea that led to nearly crashing through the floor and down to the living room. Then she slides on two pouches containing her necessities and a few scrolls for combat and storing. She easily strapped her dark blue kunai pouch around her bandaged right thigh and gives herself a thumbs-up.

Finally, Sakura focuses on her hair. "Should I go with a French braid? Side braid? Ponytail? Pigtails? Side ponytail? Down? Up? Bun? Buns? Curls?" the pink-haired girl stares at her mirror while trying out different styles.

_**I don't care! We're going to be late and Iruka-sensei will yell at us! Get your ass moving already!**_

_Hush, inner… Alright, I'll go with a simple bun. _Putting on the finishing touches, Sakura sneaks in a couple of senbons into her bun.

_Now… I want dango for breakfast…_

**…**

Ino Yamanaka steps out of her flower shop, brimming with confidence and beauty. It is finally graduation day and she cackles loudly at Sakura's misfortune of not being in Sasuke's team. Civilians and ninjas alike give her an odd look before going about their merry way. She is confident that they will definitely place her with the resident 'hottie' while Sakura will be placed with someone like… Naruto. She will graduate while Sakura fails! Making sure she looks amazing and prettier than her pink-haired rival, she makes her way to the academy. Not knowing that a certain rival of hers is jumping on rooftops like a madman.

**…**

Sakura Haruno uses her ninja-skills and extreme speed to jump across rooftops towards the academy. The dango shop had many costumers than usual and she is very adamant on getting her dango. Needless to say, she shoved sticks of dango in her mouth while jumping wildly on top of buildings, her speed rivaling that of the Green Beast of Konoha.

Her carelessness to pay attention to her surroundings led to her downfall. A lone stick of dango fell from her grasp and her beryl eyes widen in shock. She reaches out, but to no avail and watches the precious stick of dango fall in slow motion towards an unsuspecting blonde. Gravity does not chooses its victims, it just happens.

Sakura swallows her delicious dango and her eyes widen once more as a piercing shriek catches everyone's attention within the vicinity.

_**BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen! **_

It was a hilarious sight indeed, but not for the screaming blonde.

"KYAAAAAHHHHH! WHAT IS THIS?! I SWEAR TO KAMI WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS—THEY WILL…! AAAAAAGGHHH!" Ino lets out a crazed and monstrous scream that anyone can hear around a three-mile radius. Her lovely violet top is now completely ruined, thanks to a stick of dango falling from the sky. Sakura gulps and putting more chakra into her feet, dashes off into the distance. Only a gust of wind and perhaps a blurred figure is seen flying through the air.

Ino looks up, only to see a lone crow cawing and flying idly. "Caw! Caw!" it seems to mock her misfortune and Ino throws a badly aimed kunai at it. "Caw! Caw!" the bird continues to let out its irritating screech until it flies out of sight.

**(^.^)'**

Arriving earlier than expected, Sakura opens the sliding doors of her classroom. This time it is not her clone, but the real Sakura Haruno! She quickly scans the room for empty seats and finds one beside Hinata. Her jade eyes gleam with happiness before body flickering herself to that seat, leaving behind a trail of cherry blossoms. Shocked yells and gasps fill the classroom as every eye is directed towards the newcomer. Sakura ignores them and greets her shy friend. _Hinata is so adorable! I can't believe I didn't talk to her back then! Oh and… where's Akamaru? That cute puppy! I want to hug him! _

Naruto gapes at his crush while Sasuke gives her a stare before directing his attention towards the front. She has been acting weird since two days ago… opting to sit next to the shy blue-haired girl and not once she talked nor spared a glance at his direction.

"H-h-hello, Sakura. H-how's y-y-your morning?" Hinata asks her politely and Sakura takes her seat.

"Well~ it was interesting…"

"Hey, Sakura!" she turns her head to look at Naruto approaching them. Hinata blushes and turns away from him, while Sakura raises an eyebrow.

"Morning Naruto, can I help you?" she asks with genuine concern, staring straight into his glassy blue eyes. The blonde blushes, but smiles at her.

"U-uh… well, I just wanna say that… you look great, Sakura!" he grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Blinking once, a wide and genuine smile makes its way across Sakura's face and she thanked him.

"Thanks Naruto! Also, doesn't Hinata look great, too?" she smirks, gesturing towards the blushing girl. Naruto shifts his gaze fully on Hinata and she nearly fainted at the attention, but Sakura encourages her with a smile.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you look great too, Hinata." Naruto smiles at her and boy, did her face literally exploded in lovely hues of red. Sakura chuckles at the two while Naruto stands there not knowing what is going on.

"Hey, by the way, want to sit with us, Naruto?" his pink-haired crush suggests, patting the empty seat to her left.

"A-are you sure? I mean… don't you want to sit next to that emo bastard over there?" the blue-eyed blonde points towards a sulking figure up front, surrounded by his longtime fan girls/admirers.

"Nah, leave him be." Sakura smirks, leaning on her palms.

Naruto widens his eyes in shock for what seemed like the millionth time today. His beloved Sakura refuses to sit next to that chicken ass haired bastard and even asks him to sit next to her! What a lucky day for Naruto Uzumaki!

"Hell yeah—I mean, sure, Sakura!" Naruto yells loudly for everyone to hear and literally jumps on the seat beside her. She mutters a 'don't mention it' before talking to the stuttering heiress.

"Hey! You stole my seat, Haruno!" a slightly rough and boyish voice interrupts her conversation with Hinata. She looks up just in time to see Kiba Inuzuka standing next to the row of desks, pointing at her and revealing his sharp canines. Her attention is on Akamaru, however, the adorable little puppy tucked inside his gray hoodie, yapping at her. _CUUUUTE! _Without any hesitation, she vaults out of her seat and lands perfectly in front of the startled Inuzuka, yet she solely focuses her attention on the puppy.

"You are too cute to resist!" she gushes, taking ahold of Akamaru and hugging him. The puppy did not bite nor growl at the odd behavior their coral-haired classmate is displaying. Instead, he enjoys her undivided attention and yaps happily while wagging his tail. Kiba stands there like a frozen statue, staring at the crazy pink-haired kunoichi in disbelief. Akamaru usually does not like strangers, but this pink-haired girl… unbelievable.

"Okay, I'm done lavishing you with my love, my adorable Akamaru." Sakura pulls away from the puppy and daintily hands him over to its rightful owner. "Here ya go, Kiba. Thanks for letting me hold him for a bit." The rosette smiles while he shakes his head from his stupor.

"Er… it's fine. You can have that seat." Kiba grins at her, taking back Akamaru and finding another seat. Once he sees a certain bug-user, he brightens up and marches towards an empty seat next to him.

Then the doors open to reveal Iruka-sensei and everyone settles down in their seats. He greets everyone as usual, but not before glancing towards a zoned-out Sakura sitting near the back. "All right, well… today, as you all know is—" He starts and Sakura turns her attention towards the windows.

Sakura thinks that things are back to normal, but that does not seem to be the case. The sliding doors slam open, catching everyone's attention. There stood, Ino Yamanaka, in all her glory. She is late. Thanks to that stick of dango. Her blonde hair is a mess and her clothes slightly rumpled. Her baby blue eyes scan the entire classroom before stepping inside.

"Miss Yamanaka, you are late." Iruka states, turning towards his student.

"Yes, sensei, but I have a reason—"

"Detention after school today." Everyone chuckles and Sakura hides her snickering behind her hand. Ino glares hatefully at her teacher and opens her mouth, ready to spill out an entire speech as to why she is late to class.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Miss Yamanaka. Detention. After school. Today." He smiles menacingly, a small twitch of a vein near his temple and Ino quickly shuts her mouth.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei." She seethes before marching towards an empty seat besides Chouji.

_I hope Ino will NEVER find out… _

_**That would be hilarious if she did! We can beat her anytime, anywhere! CHA!**_

* * *

"Congratulations Sakura Haruno, you passed." Iruka smiles at his smart student and Sakura graciously thanked him.

"Thank you, sensei!" she chirps happily before turning towards the person sitting next to Iruka.

"Here you go Sakura, good job on passing." Mizuki smiles and hands her a ninja headgear and she takes it from him with a fake smile. She nods in acknowledgement, but inwardly seethes at him.

_**No thank you, you two-faced lying bitch. I hope Naruto kicks the crap out of you!**_

She exits the room with a flourish and waves at Hinata and Naruto. "I passed." She grins at them.

"C-congratulations, Sakura!" the blue-haired girl smiles shyly at her.

"Yeah, great job, Sakura!" Naruto hugs her and pats his back in return.

"Yup, and you two will pass! Don't worry about it Naruto." She gives him a look before telling Hinata to do her best as well.

**…**

Waiting outside the academy is Sakura's beloved mother, who congratulated her daughter upon graduating as a genin. Sakura smiles lovingly at her still alive mother and hugs her. Soon, the two are in deep conversation on how to commemorate this significant event and the rosette could not help but glance towards a lone figure on a swing.

Naruto sits on the swing under the shaded trees with a melancholic look on his face. He did not meet anyone's gaze nor listen to the frantic whispers of others around him. Sakura frowns when she overhears a conversation between a few women, whispering about the nine-tailed fox and demon child while giving furtive glances at the blonde. She feels her heart twist in pain as she stares at Naruto.

"—Then we can go shopping later, is that alright my dear?" Sakura snaps back to reality and nods her head.

"Sure, mom. I'd like that." She offers a tiny smile before looking towards the swing, but Naruto is already gone. Staring at the empty swing set, she wonders where he could have gone off to.

* * *

**Omake:**

Sakura trudges home, sweaty and exhausted from her six hour training. At the same time, she feels satisfied enough to destroy one of Konoha's training grounds. Tsunade should be proud. She continues to jump from rooftop to rooftop, despite exhausted and using up a huge amount of chakra.

_I wonder how my clone is doing... _She smiles as the gentle breeze caresses her face and inner-Sakura is surprisingly quiet since the last few hours.

Suddenly, a whirl of memories of what happened earlier comes crashing through her head. School is over and Sakura clone decides to poof back to her original.

_NaruHina for the win, bitches! _

That lone thought from her clone is enough to break her balance and causes her foot to slip. Sakura bursts into laughter as she falls forward, nearing the earth. Just a few centimeters from the ground, she disappears in a flash. Using her ninja-skills, she maneuvers herself mid-air in a burst of pink petals before continuing her way home. This time, though, she decides to walk.

"Oh Kami… I think… I just died. Yes, my number one OTP will come true." She murmurs quietly while inner cackles madly in the deep recesses of her mind. Nobody knows what young little Haruno has in mind. At least… not yet.

* * *

**Another chapter that's about as twice as long as the first one. Whew. Honestly, I'm running out of ideas on naming my chapters and the title of this story was something I just came up with on a whim. In other words, expect terrible chapter titles and my fail attempt at humor. I don't even know why I tagged this story as humor. In fact, I'm not even sure what genre I should categorize this story in… **

**Well, anyway, that explains some things and next chapter hopefully introduces Team 7. The lyrics of this song in this chapter is also not mine and never will be, sadly… **


	3. Chapter 3

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 3: Introducing… (Team Badass) Team Seven!

* * *

The stars twinkle brightly across the dark night sky, blinking and shimmering in the far-off distance light-years away. Darkness settles over the village like a silent shroud, lulling the villagers to a peaceful slumber. That includes our eccentric cherry blossom-haired kunoichi currently snuggling her face deep in her pillows. Mumbling gibberish and perhaps off into dreamland, she dozes off unaware of events transpiring outside.

Soft and faint tapping sounds of quick footsteps can be heard over the rooftops. Every civilian and rookie ninjas unaware, while every Jōnin and Chūnin are busy carrying out a mission. Sakura turns over in her sleep, facing her closed windows. The pale curtains somewhat hide her pajama-clad figure and presence, yet the sound of ninjas jumping across buildings did not falter.

_**Hey, wake up! Something is going on! Hey, Sakura, get your ass up already! Quickly, head to the woods!**_

Inner tried her best to wake Sakura up, shouting and forcing her jade eyes to open. Suddenly jolting awake and her senses sharpening, Sakura stares wide eyes into the darkness of her room. "W-what inner?! Did something happen?" she whispers, frantically looking around for any signs of danger. Upon finding none, she relaxes her muscles and sits cross-legged on her bed. "Why did you wake me up? It's late." Yawning tiredly, as she stares outside her window.

_**No time to explain! Head into the forest nearby, there's something you should see! **_

_Alright, alright… just let me get dressed for a second…_

**…**

"…But, Naruto is different. He's… I've always acknowledged him as one of my excellent students." Iruka states, looking at the ground ruefully as Mizuki stands before him. Naruto perks up at his teacher's words, shocked that Iruka-sensei would say such things about him. Continuing on with more vigor, "…He may not be the hardest worker, and he's clumsy to the point that nobody accepts him. Yet he truly knows what suffering and pain in his heart feels like. He isn't just the demon fox anymore, he's a member of Konoha, he's…"

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka states proudly, and Naruto lets out a stream of tears he had been holding back. Clutching the scroll of forbidden seals, he strengthens his resolve and gains more confidence as one of the closest person whom he likes, respects and acknowledges him.

Sakura, masking her chakra and hiding behind one of the large trees just several yards away cannot help but feel proud. Holding back her tears and the urge to knock Mizuki into the next Great Ninja War, she continues to listen and watch silently from the shadows. _Naruto… in time, you will gain everyone's respect! Including me… well, you already earned mine from a long time ago. _

Well, the following events that transpired were certainly surprising for the young kunoichi. She beams with pride as Naruto is able to successfully protect Iruka-sensei from the corrupt Mizuki and manages to create thousands of shadow clones of himself. However, she had to contain the raucous laughter that is threatening to erupt from her pursed lips. Witnessing the endless clones beat Mizuki half to death was entertaining for her. Inner cheers Naruto on and Sakura lets a small smile form on her lips. However, the sun would rise in a few hours and Sakura wants to get her beauty sleep. Satisfied, she gives one more look towards Naruto and disappears in a flurry of pink petals.

**(*_*)**

Since the pink-haired kunoichi could not get any more sleep, she decides to prepare early and head to the Hokage Mountain to watch over the breathtaking scenery of the entire village. After taking a longer shower than usual, she dresses up in her new outfit and puts on her beaded weights and pours a sufficient amount of chakra in them before taking off. Making sure she grabs a bite of breakfast, she takes an apple and opens her window. Breathing in the fresh morning air, Sakura takes off towards the carved faces of the Hokages. Stairs are for dull and boring people, whereas jumping across rooftops like a ninja is much more fun!

By the time Sakura manages to reach the top, the sun slowly rises over the horizon. The bright sunlight chases away the dark and makes way for a new day. She stands atop the third Hokage's head, taking in the wonderful view of Konohagakure. _Our village is so beautiful! _

"What a picturesque view, is it not?" a voice behind her hums in satisfaction. Startled, Sakura whips her head, not even noticing someone's chakra signature approaching her. Once her palpitating heart settles down, she relaxes at who it is.

"Lord Hokage… good morning." She hesitates, but gives him a low bow in respect. He holds up his hand, blowing out smoke from his lips.

Holding a wooden pipe in one hand, "Ah… lift your head, Sakura Haruno. There is no need to be so formal."

_**How does he know our name?**_

"Y-yes, sir… Lord Hokage." She smiles sheepishly in return, straightening back up. _I wonder what he's doing here so early in the morning… _

"I am merely enjoying the wondrous view Konoha has to offer every morning, young one." He stares into the sunrise, as if answering her thoughts. Sakura stiffens at his mind reading powers, but forces herself to relax and smile at his words.

"Yes… it's a wondrous sight." The pink-haired girl agrees, staring at the village below. How small they look from atop the mountain! Averting her gaze from the civilization, she looks up at the clear blue sky. No sign of fluffy cotton ball-like clouds, yet a small flock of birds fly across the blue expanse. She also notices a lone, ebony bird with ruby blood eyes flying idly by. It made a faint cawing noise and Sakura wonders why a crow is flying above Konoha.

_**Could it be Itachi?! **_

_Hell no, Itachi and Kisame's invasion isn't until after the exams and during Naruto and that perverted sage left the village to find Tsunade. _

Tuning out her inner when Lord Sarutobi asks her a question after a long silence. The rest of the early dawn, Sakura spends time admiring the view and talking to the Hokage.

* * *

Once again, our coral-haired heroine finds herself jumping atop rooftops while shoving sticks of takoyaki inside her mouth. It is a miracle that she has yet to stab herself with the wooden sticks or choke to death while jumping with intense speed or do both. Class will soon start in ten minutes and she does not want to be late for the announcement of Genin teams. This time, she carries a bottle of teriyaki sauce with her.

"Caw! Caw!" that same ebony crow from earlier makes its own official appearance to Sakura. The annoying bird flies directly towards the green-eyed girl, targeting the sticks of takoyaki. Her beryl eyes flashing dangerously, Sakura puts more chakra into her soles and leaps, narrowly avoiding the crow's assault.

However, the crow manages to snag the bottle of teriyaki sauce from one of her open pouches. Sadly, the bottle is too heavy for the feathered menace to carry and thus… sends it careening towards the ground. Sakura lets out a strangled scream, her mouth filled with delicious and scalding takoyaki.

**(^_^)'**

Once again, Ino Yamanaka steps out of her fragrant flower shop with extreme giddiness. This time, she will defeat that pink monstrosity once and for all! She will arrive at the academy earlier than that billboard-brow! Her lush platinum blonde hair shines under the sun and her beautiful baby blue eyes taking in her surroundings. She also made sure that she looks presentable in front of her long-time crush, Sas-gay Uchiwa—Sasuke Uchiha. Walking regally and brimming with beauty and confidence, there is no stopping her now!

Well, that is… until a certain filled bottle of black sauce falling towards her. Gravity is merciless.

Her rosette rival watches helplessly above in mid-air, everything happening in slow motion. Ino walking towards the academy, unaware of the oncoming danger. The crow had long since left and flies off to nowhere, leaving only Sakura as a witness.

The teriyaki bottle uncaps and the black liquid splashes against Ino's beautiful hair, running down her pampered face and clothes.

"UWAAAAAAAAHHH! EEEWWW! WHAT IS THIS?! GROOOOSSS!" she shrieks, upon seeing the black liquid running down her face and clothes. Everything is ruined! Every civilian and ninja within a three mile radius heard her banshee scream and cringed.

_**OH MY KAMI! This is like, the second time something like this happened! BWUAHAHAHAHAHA! **_

_FU—SHI—CRAP! I'm so sorry Ino, but I gotta go!_

With speed rivaling that of two certain green spandex wearing maniacs, Sakura takes off in a whirlwind. Ino looks up at the pretty sky, glaring intensely at whoever thought it was hilarious to pull a prank at her.

"WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS—! THEY—THEY WILL WISH THEY WERE NEVER EVEN BORN!" she madly proclaims, marching back to the Yamanaka's flower shop. Fortunately, Sakura already left without a trace.

**(-_-)'**

Arriving five minutes later, Sakura assesses the classroom for empty seats. Unfortunately, someone already took the seat next to Hinata, but the seat between Naruto and Sasuke…

She marches towards Hinata's direction with determination, her eyes piercing holes at a certain wild-haired and tattooed face classmate. Akamaru barks in glee upon seeing the pink-haired girl.

"Inuzuka, you took my seat." She stops next to the row of desks, putting her hands on her waist as she glares playfully at him.

Kiba gives her a wolfish grin, but refuses to budge. "Sorry, pinky, but I got here first." He flashes her his canines and Hinata mumbles an apology.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, S-Sakura… K-Kiba wanted to s-s-sit there…" she meekly meets Sakura's eyes, before bowing in shame.

"Humph! I'll forgive you this time, dog boy, because Akamaru is too cute to resist." She scoffs, then turns towards Hinata and Akamaru with a bright smile. "It's okay, Hinata! At least you wanted to save my seat! Why don't we meet up later?"

Hinata smiles shyly at her pink-haired friend and nods in understanding. "O-okay, Sakura…"

With that, Sakura settles for a seat beside a sleeping Shikamaru Nara. She drops down glumly in her seat, facing the front. The Nara genius wakes up at the thudding noise and blinks skeptically at her.

"Wha—Haruno? Why are you sitting there?" he asks groggily, yawning lazily at her.

"What? Can't I sit wherever I want, Nara?" she retorts back, albeit jokingly. He mutters an inaudible response before slouching tiredly in his seat. Before she can open her mouth for a sarcastic reply, a loud disturbance up front catches her attention.

There, Naruto glares eye-to-eye with a certain brooding Uchiha. "Blah, blah, blah… why's it always Sasuke?! What's so good about him, anyway?" the blonde complains, squatting on top of the desk, in front of Sasuke. The raven-haired boy glares back unwaveringly. His fan girls scream and shout in frustration.

"Oh my gosh, Naruto, get away from my Sasuke!" a crazed fan girl shrieks.

"Yeah Naruto, you're so annoying! Move it!" another rabid fan girl shouts. "Wait—what do you mean MY Sasuke?! Sasuke is mine!" she screeches, launching herself at the girl.

"Hell no, girl! Sasuke is mine!" the fan girl shouts back, trying to scratch the other girl's face with her manicured nails.

"Hey, Sasuke belongs to me! Not you two ugly bitches!" another fan girl joins, the others shout their agreement.

That only serves to fuel Naruto's anger and jealousy towards the only Uchiha survivor. "Grrr... I'm way better than you, bastard!"

"Shut up, idiot. Like I care what your pea-sized brain thinks." Sasuke replies arrogantly and Naruto growls angrily.

Sakura rolls her eyes at her two soon-to-be teammates and the fan girls surrounding them. _Could they get any more annoying than this? You know, I used to think that I was super annoying until I remember his fan girls…_

_**CHA! Duck Boy isn't even that great! What do girls even see in him? He's so dark, broody, gloomy, angry, and acts like an emo bastard! Itachi is way hotter than him! We should be his fan girl instead! **_Inner-Sakura gushes out gleefully, completely ignoring the younger brother in favor of the older one.

_Inner, for once, I agree…_

Then, deafening shouts of anger and shock fills the entire classroom. Naruto and Sasuke, as expected ends up giving away their first kiss to each other when an unaware student accidentally elbowed the blonde. Sakura bursts out an uncontained laughter, clutching the desk with such force she nearly crushed it with her monstrous strength. Regaining control, she lets go and throws back her head. Shikamaru, beside her, shoots her a strange look.

After a full minute of non-stop laughter, Sakura wipes the tears from her eyes and pats her pained stomach. "Oh… oh my… kami…" she giggles, trying to control herself. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto already pulled away from each other, coughing and gagging in disgust. The fan girls are writhing on the floor in pain and agony while some pull their hair and cry their eyes out.

"Haruno… you are acting strange lately…" the lazy genius murmurs, leaning on his palm, whilst giving her a penetrating look. However, Sakura straightens up and shoots him a look saying not to pry. Just as he was about to comment, Iruka steps inside the classroom. Shikamaru closes his mouth while Sakura sighs inwardly in relief.

As usual, he greets the class briefly before getting down to business. "Alright, everyone… Today is finally the day for Genin graduates to form their own teams. I will be announcing the team number as well as the three names of each member, so listen carefully." The spiky haired brunette teacher states, briefly scanning the clipboard of newly formed teams. Sakura zones out until a certain number is called out.

"Team 7—Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and…" she perks up and sits straight in her seat, ignoring the look someone beside her is shooting in her direction. Naruto fist pumps and thanked the divine being that resides somewhere above.

"…Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka finishes, glancing up briefly from the clipboard in his hands. Naruto groans loudly and slouches in defeat when his arch-nemesis's name was called, whereas every fan girl cries out in sadness and pain. "NOOOOOO! MY SASUKE-KUN!" they all scream in unison, but Iruka ignores them and decides to continue.

_Well, that's that… now the fun begins._

_**Hell yeah! Time to save the world and kick some ass!**_

Suddenly, Naruto stands up and slams his fists on the desk, catching the teacher and everyone's attention. "Hey, sensei! Why does an amazing and powerful ninja like me… have to be in the same team as that bastard?!" he yells and points angrily at the frowning Uchiha.

Pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a resigned sigh, "Naruto… out of all the graduates here… Sasuke is at the top of the class. You, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the list. Therefore, all three-man cells are arranged in order to create balance among every team." Iruka states with finality.

"Bah, just don't get in my way… dead-last." The chicken ass-haired Genin comments, only making Naruto angrier and for Iruka to sag his shoulders and sigh. Then he focuses on the clipboard and calls out a few more teams.

"…Anyway, moving on—"

The sliding doors suddenly open with tremendous force, but not enough to break the hinges nor create cracks around the door frame. Every student, including Iruka-sensei turns at the late newcomer. Ino slowly steps inside, glowering and looking worse for wear. Her usually shiny and luscious blonde hair looking like a wet mop and her eyes dark and threatening.

Iruka clears his throat and lowers the clipboard on his desk, "Miss Yamanaka… this is the second time you walked into my class late."

"Well, if it weren't for that—" she starts, but he cuts her off again.

Shaking his head at her, "Detention after school today. Again."

"WHAT?! But sensei I—" she stutters, eyes wide and fists shaking.

"No buts and excuses, Miss Yamanaka. Don't be late next time."

"But that's not fair! I have—" Ino whines, and Sakura feels guilty while everyone laughs.

A twitch at the corner of his lips and a menacing smile, "Detention. After school. Today. Miss Yamanaka."

Lowering her eyes in defeat, "Yes, Iruka-sensei…" Ino mutters under her breath and drops to a seat beside a random classmate.

Finally, done with all the distractions, Iruka continues calling out team members. Ino slams her forehead against the desk when her name is called out among Shikamaru's and Chouji's. Sakura feels ultimately sorry for Ino-Pig and plans to apologize later and perhaps fix their broken friendship once more.

"Now that I finished calling out everyone's teams… Later this afternoon, we'll introduce all your Jōnin teachers, so take a break until then." Iruka smiles at all his students, proud that from now on, they are qualified ninjas!

"Oh, and don't forget to serve your detention today, Miss Yamanaka. After you meet and get acquainted with your instructor, please come to the principal's office." Ino slams her forehead on her desk for the second time.

* * *

Sakura slowly eats her dango in bliss, closing her eyes as she leans back onto the bench. Her cotton candy lashes flutter open and all she can see are fluffy clouds floating lazily across the endless blue expanse. The wind picks up, blowing leaves against the tall trees and her long locks, free from its bun.

After swallowing her dango and wiping her mouth with a pristine white handkerchief, her jade eyes found their target. There, just a few yards away stands a certain duck butt-haired boy, leaning against a tree.

_Jeez, could you be any more obvious, Naruto? _She rolls her eyes and inner stifles her laughter. The Uchiha look-alike strides confidently towards the rosette, hands in pockets with a smug smile plastered across his porcelain face. The young girl stands up to face him as Sasuke stops in front of her.

"You know Sakura… You have a large charming forehead…" he trails off, staring longingly into her jade eyes. She in turn, snorts quietly, but awaits patiently for what is to come.

"…Makes me want to kiss it." he finishes and inner drops down in an uncontrollable laughter and Sakura had to tune her noisy laughter out. Fighting and resisting the urge to laugh as well, she steels her nerves and smiles instead.

"Hah, sounds like something Naruto would say." He continues. After a pregnant pause, "Sakura, there's something I want to ask you."

"…"

"What do you think of Naruto?" he asks seriously, expecting her answer.

Sakura grins and looks up at the sky. "Well, Naruto… he's… an idiot."

The Sasuke look-alike immediately frowns at her answer, but did not question it. Understanding his silence, the young kunoichi continues, "…But he's my idiot."

His coal black eyes widen in surprise and tries to find any traces of fakeness on his crush's face. He finds none, only a genuine and compassionate look in her beautiful viridian eyes.

"Naruto is… spontaneous and can be a dolt, but he has a great heart. He may not be the smartest, but he is the most persistent! And he possesses something most do not. He has this charisma that draws in anyone he meets and can easily change others for the better. I guess I can say that… he has a way with words and making others happy." Sakura grins then looks at Sasuke straight in the eye.

"Naruto is amazing and I would be glad to have him as not only a best friend, but as a son." With that, Sakura gives him a smile and inner suddenly stops her laughing fit.

_**WAIT! What do you mean by son?! Don't tell me—**_

_Yup, Naruto is now officially a part of my family. Specifically, my own surrogate son. _

_**WHA—**_

_I'm adopting him. _

_**WHY?!**_

_Naruto is not a bad person, he needs someone to look out for him… and I will be that person. I can never replace his parents… but at least, I can fill that empty space in his heart. After all, I support his dream and I will continue to do so until he achieves it. I'm sure that… he will become a wonderful Hokage… _With that, inner did not argue and chooses to remain quiet.

"H-huh? R-really Sakura? That's what you think of m—Naruto?" her raven-haired teammate blushes and rubs the back of his neck. Inside, however, he is rejoicing in happiness and glee. '_Sakura thinks that I'm awesome! I'm so happy!_'

"Of course." Mentally counting to three, Sakura did not drop her smile.

His stomach rumbling loudly, Sasuke clutches his mid-section in pain. Looking around frantically, he hastily runs to the nearest bathroom. "I-I'm s-sorry, Sakura! I-I have t-to g-go!"

Just a few seconds later, the real Sasuke Uchiha shows up. "Where's Naruto?" he demands.

"The bathroom. He probably ate something bad and had to use the toilet to relieve himself." His pink-haired teammate calmly drinks a cup of green tea. She did not bother to meet his gaze nor open her eyes. This is her lunch break, damn it, and she will spend it with peace and quiet.

Sasuke blinks stupidly and wonders why she is not acting like a fan girl and blushing at his presence. Shrugging his shoulders, he grunts a thank you and walks away to find his attacker. Sakura opens her eyes and lets out a deep and exhausted sigh. It is only noon, yet she already feels drained.

**(◦◊◦)**

"UGH…! Why's our teacher late?! The other teams already left with theirs! Iruka-sensei left too!" Naruto whines in frustration and impatience as he paces back and forth inside the classroom.

Sakura continues to meditate, one of the meditation practices that Shizune recommended for expanding chakra reserves. Not minding the tantrum Naruto is throwing or the silent and brooding Uchiha, she opens an eye. "…He'll be here any moment now."

"ARGH! Waddya mean he'll be here any moment? He's late! Super late!" the blonde shouts, looking around the classroom for something.

"Shut up, dead-last. You're so annoying." Sasuke retorts, glaring at him.

A sudden idea forms in Naruto's head and he chuckles evilly, stalking towards the chalk board, he grabs the eraser. Then standing on a chair to put the eraser between the doors, Sakura stops him.

"Wait, Naruto…" she puts on a serious façade and the blonde gulps in fear.

"Y-yes, Sakura…?" '_AAAHH! She's going to kill me!_'

Then a wide and evil smirk forms across her lips and she pulls out a small plastic bottle containing rainbow-colored glitter from one of her pouches, "Let's put this on the eraser then watch what happens."

_**CHA! It'd be more hilarious this time! **_Inner cackles madly, agreeing one hundred percent.

Naruto breaks out his own scheming face and agrees wholeheartedly, "Yeah, Sakura! That's a great idea!" he grabs the rainbow glitter and pours a huge amount of it on the eraser, then carefully positions it atop and in between the doors.

Sasuke stares at the two in disbelief, "A Jōnin would not fall for such tricks." He shakes his head.

"Oh, you'd be surprised that he _will_." Sakura turns to him with a dark and evil expression on her face and Sasuke feels a twitch from his right eye.

As if predicting her exact words, Kakashi Hatake opens the sliding doors and the eraser falls on top of his gravity-defying hair. Gravity, once again, proves that it is unforgiving.

A burst of white powder and rainbow glitter covers his silver hair and Naruto bursts into laughter and points at him, "GYAHAHAHA! I can't believe you fell for that! HAHAHA!"

_**YEAH! Rainbow glitter and white powder combo… Mission: Success! **_Inner-Sakura gives a two thumbs-up and Sakura purses her lips, trying to keep a serious façade.

Sas-gay—Sasuke cannot believe his very eyes. This… this elite ninja fell for such a stupid and childish prank?! How incompetent!

'…_He's a Jōnin? He doesn't even look reliable or strong.'_

The masked ninja, already recovered from the embarrassing trick, puts a thumb to his chin and carefully analyzes his new students. "Hmm… well, let's see here… my first impression of you three…" he shifts his gaze from the laughing blonde idiot, wandering to the mysteriously smiling coral-haired girl, and finally settles on the gloomy Uchiha. He makes his final verdict and… "You're all a bunch of stupid little kids. And I hate you all." Flashing that eye-crinkling cryptic smile as Naruto stops laughing, Sasuke freezes and the corners of his mouth twitches, and Sakura just stands there with a goofy smile.

_**Best. Team. Ever. **_Inner drops down to her knees and wipes an imaginary tear from her eye.

**(◦A◦)'**

Leaning coolly against the railings on top of a building, their mysterious Jōnin instructor crosses his arms across his chest, watching his three cute Genins. The three sit on the concrete ground a few feet from him, watching him with interest or annoyance—in Sasuke's case. "Now, why don't we start with introductions? To get to know each other a little better." He stares at them uninterestingly.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto blurts out.

"Well, I mean… I don't know… How about your likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies, things like that." He trails off in a bored tone, shrugging his shoulders.

"What?" Naruto squawks, "Why don't YOU start first, sensei. We don't even know your name!"

Sakura nods in agreement, putting a finger underneath her chin, "Yeah, you look way too suspicious."

Not even bothered by their remarks, "Oh… me? Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no obligation nor desire to share my likes and dislikes to you three. My dream…? Hmm… and, well… I have lots of hobbies."

_**Kami, that was terrible…**_

_Worst introduction. Ever._

The three Genin blink and slowly turn their heads to stare at each other. "So… we only know his name." Sakura says with a deadpan look on her face. Naruto and Sasuke nod in agreement, sporting similar expressions on their faces.

Clapping his hands and chirping happily, "Well, now that we got that out of the way… You, the boisterous blonde, can start." He gestures towards Naruto.

"Whatever, old man." He beams and Kakashi's uncovered eye twitches for a moment and only Sakura catches the small movement. Continuing on confidently, "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I love ramen and Sakura most! I also really like Ichiraku's Ramen and my favorite place to eat! What I really don't like is waiting for the three minutes for the ramen to cook! I hate Sasuke the emo bastard the most! And my dream's…" Naruto excitedly introduces himself, fixing his ninja headgear with the leaf insignia.

'_…to become a cup of instant ramen and rule over the world of ramen as their ramen king._' Kakashi thinks.

"…to become the Hokage! I'll surpass the old man and everyone'll finally acknowledge me! Believe it! And hobbies… uh, pranks I guess!" he loudly proclaims for everyone to hear. Sakura chuckles at his energetic introduction while Sasuke scoffs and Kakashi widens his eyes.

'_I see… such an interesting kid…_'

_Now that's the Naruto I know… _

_**Gosh, is ramen the only thing he thinks about?**_

"Well then, let's move on… your turn, pink-haired lady." He nods at her direction and Sakura smiles evilly.

_**KYAHAHAHAHAH! We get to go before Chicken Ass! We should totally troll him! **_

"Hello everyone… I'm Haruno Sakura. What I like is… punching villains and people I don't like. I also like to give out motivational/friendship speeches and it's my job breaking down the fourth wall. I despise… villains and manipulative arrogant bastards, and that makes me want to punch them. My dream… well, I cannot really call it a dream, but an ambition… is to kill a certain man." Sakura cheerfully introduces herself, yet puts on a mask of cold indifference as she mentions her 'dream'.

Kakashi, once again, widens his eyes in shock and surprise. Kill? This little pink-haired girl who looks harmless and cannot even hurt a fly... kill someone? Naruto shivers and stares at her in slight fear. Sasuke, on the other hand, looks somewhat perturbed. However, he quickly recovers and puts on a mask of indifference.

"…And, my hobbies are reading medical scrolls and learning medical ninjutsu!" Everyone stares blankly at her, and Kakashi somewhat interested, before he nods his head towards the last member.

"…My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike a lot of things and I don't really like anything. However, I wouldn't call it a dream, but an ambition… because it will come true. The resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man." He glowers, glaring darkly into the distance.

'_As expected… he's an avenger…_' their new teacher narrows his eye.

'_Oh gee… I hope it's not me!_' Naruto gulps in fear, glancing at the brooding Uchiha, then… "HEY! You stole Sakura's dream, you copy-cat bastard!" he points accusingly at his rival. Kakashi inwardly face-palms and Sakura rolls her eyes. Sasuke ignores his outburst and continues to glare into space.

"Okay! Wonderful introductions everyone!" their teacher announces, smiling before throwing away his happy façade. "Now, let's get down to business… shall we?"

The two perk up at his sudden seriousness and change in atmosphere. Sakura sits there, completely relaxed and bored. "Starting tomorrow, we'll start our duties."

"Duties? What kind of duties?!" Naruto excitedly asks.

"It's a training exercise that only the four of us will participate in." Kakashi crosses his arms, staring at the three of them.

"What is it?! Tell us already, Kakashi-sensei!"

"…Survival training."

"Survival training…? What's that?" the loud blonde stares at his teacher in confusion.

"We did enough training in the academy. Why are we doing one as a team?" Sasuke asks as well. Sakura chooses not to say anything, instead she listens to her teacher's explanation.

"I will be your opponent for this 'Survival Training'." He quotes, catching both Naruto and Sasuke's attention.

"Huh?" Naruto gives him a skeptical look while Sasuke and Sakura stay silent.

"And well… hehehe…" Covering his face with his hand.

_Um… creeper alert?_

_**You know… I just realized that Kaka-sensei sounds creepy when he laughs like that. **_

"What's so funny?" Sasuke seethes, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

Clearing his throat, he looks up at them with fake cheerfulness, "No, nothing… it's just that… you guys are going to probably flip out at this."

"Huh? Flip out? About what?" Naruto wonders out loud.

Then he turns back to seriousness as he gives them all a penetrating stare, "You see… this so-called survival training is very difficult. The failure rate as of now is… well, above 80%. Out of all the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as a Genin. The rest are sent back to the academy for further training."

Naruto freezes in shock, Sasuke inwardly gulps but did not show any emotion, and Sakura… she's already on her back with her eyes closed, dozing off. Kakashi assesses all of their faces except Sakura. He blinks and inwardly face-palms. '_Why is she so relaxed?_'

"See? You two are frozen in shock, although Sasuke manages to hide it well…" he trails off before settling his gaze upon the dozing female member. "…as for the pink-haired lady… someone please wake her up." He sighs, rubbing the back of his head.

"No need for that Kaka-sensei! I was listening the whole time, just resting my eyes." Sakura opens her eyes and sits up gracefully, fixing her messy bun.

"Alright…" he trails off unsurely, trying to study her. '_Weird girl… she seems different than any other Genin I ever came across._'

Clapping his hands once again, "So… I expect all of you at Training Ground 3 tomorrow morning at five o'clock sharp. I suggest bringing all your ninja tools and weapons. Oh, and, I recommend skipping breakfast. Unless if you want to throw up."

'_What did he mean by throw up?!_' Naruto shudders.

"Alright, if you're prepared and ready to go… here's the print-out with all the details. Don't be late by the way." Kakashi hands them the papers.

_Details my ass… it's just a simple bell test. _Sakura briefly scans the paper before tucking it in her beige ninja pouch. Sasuke did not bother to read it, crumpling the paper in his hands. Naruto stares at the paper, not understanding anything as he looks at the kanji characters. '_Uh… what does this say…?_'

"Well then, my cute students… I'm off!" Kakashi disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving the three Genin to themselves.

* * *

**Omake: **

"…You are from the future, Sakura Haruno." The Hokage calmly blows a puff of smoke, watching it spread and dissipate within seconds. The rosette stiffens up and purses her lips, not turning around to face him. She stares at the village below, not meeting his gaze. Hiruzen Sarutobi lets his gaze wander across the azure heavens.

"There is no need to be alarmed, Miss Haruno. I already knew from the moment I watched you climb the mountain with ease. Such strength… the only person I know who possesses such abilities was my former student, Tsunade." He continues. "Also… you possess a unique aura. That, I can tell."

"Uh… well, you see…" Sakura hesitates.

"I understand. Come, let us talk privately in my office. The open space have eyes and ears, apparently." He hums, seeing a flying crow over his village.

He walks away from the cliff and Sakura reluctantly follows him. _I don't know what to say… _

_**Don't worry! It'll be fine! **_

**…**

Sakura slowly sits on a wooden chair facing the Hokage's desk, fidgeting nervously while Hiruzen casts a barrier-like jutsu to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on their conversation. Finishing the hand seals, he settles comfortably in his seat, placing down the wooden pipe on his desk.

"Now, I do not expect you to reveal every single detail to me. However, I am curious as to how you managed to find yourself in the past." He laces his fingers together, looking at her.

"Well… yeah, it was complicated and… um…" Sakura tries to find the right words to say.

Instead, the third holds up a palm and gives her a brief understanding smile. "It is alright… I know what you are trying to say."

Nodding, the rosette decides to spill everything. From becoming a Genin to the Fourth Great Ninja War. She left nothing and told of every detail she can remember. After the long talk and the Hokage listening politely and considering her words, Sakura slumps tiredly in her seat.

After a lapse of silence, "I see… this is a very serious matter, Miss Haruno." Hiruzen stands up and turns around to stare outside the glass windows behind his desk. "However, it is up to you whether you want to change the future or not. Just remember, the future is unpredictable and numerous of possibilities exist. One cannot easily foresee the exact future, there are many outcomes depending on the course of action one takes."

"Yes… I understand Lord Hokage." Sakura meekly replies, clutching her white skirt. "…I-I just want… to protect my loved ones. I want… to become stronger in order to avoid a disastrous future and protect those I love! I don't want people… to die. I… want everyone to live… in a future… where everyone is happy and there is no pain… and sorrow. A future where… there is always hope." She trails off softly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

The third slowly turns around to look at her small form, eyes gentle and wise from the years he experienced. "Such a world does not exist without any form of pain or suffering. Everyone has their own shares of joy and sorrow. The will to persevere and to live is what drives us, humans, to continue. No matter how difficult the path of life will be, one must overcome obstacles and learn to believe in hope."

Her jade eyes widen at his words. "Perseverance…?" she whispers.

"Yes, one must become stronger and unyielding in order to accomplish their goals and dreams. I, too, believe that you will become a strong and capable kunoichi someday, but also kind and compassionate towards everyone. Even to those who do not deserve such treatment." Lord Sarutobi smiles kindly at her.

At that moment, Sakura finally decides that the only people deserving her whole trust and the ones she will willingly and gladly bow her head to… are Naruto Uzumaki and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Thank you very much, Lord Sarutobi. I think I understand now." She shakily stands up and bows in respect, eyes reflecting determination. She straightens up to meet his gaze, "I know that those who are precious to me will always support me no matter what. I will definitely become stronger and be able to protect my loved ones! Also, I will continue to stand by Naruto's side and be the shoulder he can cry on!" she strengthens her resolve and flashes the third a blinding smile.

"Indeed… you are a remarkable kunoichi for your age, Miss Haruno." The current Hokage smiles, "Perhaps you will be able to surpass Naruto and become the Hokage instead."

* * *

**Author's notes at the bottom as usual. Anyway, another chapter finished! WOO-HOO! By the way, this fic may or may not be a CRACK!Fic. It all depends on the direction my sense of humor takes me. Also, I added to the warning that this is a slightly CRACK!Fic. Yes, Sakura, on this one acts differently than in canon. She's OOC, that's why. **

**Anyway, it might sound like I'm bashing Ino or making fun of her so far… yes, but I am not bashing nor hating her character. Honestly, I do not hate nor like her. She's a cool character and I love the friendship she shares with Sakura. I hated it when Sakura decides to break their friendship, because of… Sasuke. I'm hoping to repair their friendship and I want Sakura and Ino to be the best of friends! Sakura would be the one to approach her sometime in the future and become friends… hopefully.**

**Also, I like poking fun of Sasuke and giving him nicknames. His hair really does reminds me of a chicken's behind. Feathers and all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 4: Congratulations! You… FAILED.

* * *

_**Hey, humongous forehead, wake up already! It's eight o'clock! CHA!**_

_Inner… shut up. Kaka-sensei won't be there until ten… so calm down. _

Sakura makes sure to take her time showering, getting dressed, fixing her freakishly long hair, and savoring her breakfast. After kissing her mother goodbye, she jumps out her window and hastily makes her way to the library to read more medical scrolls and jutsus. She also drops by the Hokage's office, greeting Hiruzen and conversing with him until a Jōnin knocks on his door and she bids him farewell. Nodding at her in acknowledgement and wishing her luck, Sakura body flickers in a whirlwind of cherry blossoms.

**9:54 am**

"Understand, you two?" Sakura lectures her teammates, each sporting a lump on their forehead, a result of bashing their heads together. She rarely shows her violent side, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Naruto wails on the ground, flopping wildly like a Magikarp out of water. Sasuke shoots her a dark glare before kicking the thrashing blonde.

"Get up, dead-last. Stop wriggling on the ground." he huffs.

"OW! Stop kicking me, you bastard!" Naruto yells and tries to stand.

"Alright, you two… that's enough." Sakura crosses her arms firmly, giving her boys a scathing glare and they both immediately stiffen in fear. "So, that's the moral of the story. Teamwork. This so-called 'Survival Training' isn't hard as Kaka-sensei makes it out to be. He's only doing that to scare us and he's testing us if we are capable of working together. Which I don't see happening very soon…" she stares at Naruto and Sasuke, who in turn glare at each other. "Give it a rest you two… let's just work together and then you can kill each other after the test."

"Humph, as if I would work with you two idiots. You'll only drag me down." The arrogant Uchiha sneers.

Naruto grits his teeth in annoyance, "Shut up! Like I wanna work with a chicken-haired bastard like you!"

"You're one to talk, dead-last. You'll drag me down the most." He insults back.

"ARGH! I'll kill you!" Naruto runs to choke the ever-living being out of his hated rival, but Sakura grabs the back of his collar and prevents him so.

"Naruto, not now… Kaka-sensei would arrive anytime soon." She scolds the blonde lightly, then turning towards the arrogant duck ass-haired Genin, "Look here, Duck Boy, _you_ will _team_ up with Naruto and I. Whether you like it or not. If you don't, then be my guest and _fail_ yourself. At this point, I don't have the luxury to lecture you both and start meaningless fights. Either we work together or we FAIL."

After that prideful and somewhat angry speech, Sasuke stares at her in utter shock. This is not the annoying and weak fan girl he knows, this is Sakura Haruno. A strong and proud kunoichi who hails from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Finding no words to say or to insult her, he reluctantly swallows his pride and turns away from his teammates.

"…Fine. Have it your way then." He mutters regretfully, glaring angrily at the ground. Damn it! That speech just shot down his pride as an Uchiha!

A beautiful smile spreads across Sakura's face and she cannot help but grab her boys and squish them together in a tight hug. "See? We should act like this more often! Don't you think so too, Sasuke?"

"A-ACK! GAH! S-Sakura… c-can't… breathe…" her blonde teammate gasps, clawing at his throat.

"L-let go…" the raven-haired boy sputters out with deflated ego, unable to escape from her iron grip.

"Ah… Good morning, my cute little students—Oh, what's this?" the silver-haired man poofs out of nowhere and gives them all a skeptical glance. "My, my… seems like you guys are getting along very well. That's good." He smiles mysteriously and Sakura lets go of her two gasping teammates.

"HEY! You're late! Again!" Naruto shouts, pointing accusingly at Kakashi.

Holding up his hands in defense, "Yes, well… as you can see… there was this black cat on the street and—"

"LIAR!" Naruto yells, not believing his lame excuse.

"Alright, alright… settle down now. Why don't we start?" he smiles and beckons the three to follow him in the middle of the training ground.

Sakura eyes the three stumps off to the side, memories flood her mind and she lets a small smile cross her face. Kakashi magically pulls out an alarm clock and sets it down on a stump. "This… clock here, is set for noon." His three students stare at him expectantly, and he pulls out two silver bells held by a red string from his vest and holds it up for them to see. "Here are two bells, your task… is to try to steal these from me."

"However… there is a time-limit. Those who cannot steal one before noon, don't deserve lunch. Also, you'll be tied up on one of the stumps and I will eat my lunch right in front of you." he smiles at them. Naruto and Sasuke's stomach rumble at the same time while Sakura stands there nonchalantly.

'_That's why he told us not to eat… ugh…_' Naruto rubs his belly in sadness.

"…Anyway, you only need one bell each… but as you can see, there are only two bells. Why? Well, that person who did not manage to snag a bell from me will not only be tied up to the stump, but automatically fails. At least one of you will go back to the academy."

Naruto gulps in fear and Sasuke clenches his fists as Sakura flips a long strand of her cotton candy hair over her shoulder, unfazed.

"Lastly, you can use shurikens and kunai for this exercise. You will not succeed unless you approach me with intent to kill." He closes his hand, concealing the bells from the three Genin.

Sasuke scoffs and Sakura merely rolls her eyes. Naruto puts his arms behind his head and boasts loudly, "Yeah, right! Sensei, you're so slow! You can't even dodge a blackboard eraser with rainbow glitter! We'll kill you and take the bells from your dead body!"

Kakashi face-palms and lets out a small sigh, "Oh? Don't you know, in reality… those who bark the loudest have no talent? Well, why don't we ignore Sir Dead-Last here and start when I say—"

Twitching in anger, Naruto pulls out a kunai from his dark blue holster and charges at his teacher with rage.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow as he watches his student charge at him angrily, weapon in hand. Easily grabbing his armed hand and the back of his head, Kakashi turns the situation around. Gripping Naruto's hand with the kunai, he positions it behind his head. The blonde freezes in fear, not moving a single muscle as he stares wide eyes at his teammates. Kakashi stands coolly behind him, unfazed.

'_Heh, so this is a Jōnin…_' a bead of sweat rolls down the side of Sasuke's face.

_**How cool! Kaka-sensei does have his cool moments! **_

"Huh… I didn't even say start yet." he muses, assessing each and every one of them. "It seems like you're fully prepared to come at me with such killing intent. Finally acknowledging me, eh?" he stares down at the unmoving blonde in front of him.

"Hmm… it looks like…"

Sakura stares him down persistently, holding her ground while inner grins smugly.

"…I'm starting to…"

Sasuke looks at him with determination, a dark smile on his features.

"…like you guys even more. What an interesting team."

Naruto grits his teeth in anticipation, itching to land a fatal blow on the masked man.

"Start!"

In a flash, Sasuke and Sakura vanish in a blur, leaving Naruto by himself with Kakashi. "One of the most basic tactics of being a ninja is to conceal one's self…" he slowly looks around for any signs of Sasuke and Sakura. "…except you."

"Hah! Come and fight me, sensei!" Naruto proudly proclaims, crossing his arms with confidence and Kakashi gives him an odd look. "Come on, old man! Just fight me already!"

"…Uh, you're a little weird… unlike those two." His teacher replies.

"The only thing that's weird here, is your haircut!" Naruto rushes at him and Kakashi reaches into his pouch.

Naruto notices the movement and halts in his tracks, warily watching his teacher's gloved hand. "Fighting Tactic Lesson #1: taijutsu. I'll gladly teach it to you."

_**Hand-to-hand combat! CHA!**_

'_Wha…? Is he going to use a weapon?_' Naruto watches him cautiously, not making any sudden movements.

Kakashi slowly reaches inside his pouch and pulls out… _Icha Icha Paradise_.

_Porn… _Sakura silently snorts from her hiding place behind the thick leaves of a tree, watching the scene unfold with interest. Sasuke raises an eyebrow as he watches the scene, burrowing himself deeper behind the thick branches.

"HUH?!" Naruto freezes in shock and gapes at him, staring at the orange book in his hands.

"What's the matter? Where was your bravado from earlier? Aren't you going to come at me with intent to kill?"

"Y-yeah, but… why the hell do you have a book?!"

Nonchalantly flipping a page, "Why not? I'm dying to know what happens next. Besides, this is a cakewalk, won't make much of a difference if you ask me."

"…"

"I'll beat the shit out of you!" Naruto rears back his right fist for a punch, but Kakashi effortlessly blocks it with one hand.

"RAAGHH!" bringing up his knee to deliver a forceful kick, Kakashi ducks from the attack, never taking his eyes off his book. Hitting nothing only serves to piss the blonde off.

"YOU—" he rushes forward, left fist reared back and ready to pummel his squatting teacher to the ground.

…Only to hit nothing and for Kakashi to reappear squatting behind him, hands positioned in a Tiger seal.

"A ninja is not supposed to let his guard down and let the enemy approach him from behind, Sir Dead-Last."

"What the?!"

_**Too late! I'm so glad that it wasn't me down there! **_Inner chortles madly and Sakura agrees.

'_That idiot… falling for a stupid trick. He'll get blasted with a ninjutsu._' Sasuke scoffs, watching from the trees.

"Oh well… nice meeting you, Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi smiles mysteriously and Naruto widens his eyes.

"Hidden Leaf Taijutsu Supreme Technique: A Thousand Years of Pain!" poor Naruto is unable to dodge the oncoming finger probe, violating his rectal cavity with such a vulgar attack. Clutching his butthole in pain, he cries out and flies meters into the air, only to land into a river.

'_What the hell… ninjutsu my ass! What a bunch of morons!_' Sasuke's left eye twitches as he watches the two.

_**BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Never gets old!**_

Seconds later, a couple of shuriken burst out of the water's surface, heading towards Kakashi. Giggling as he continues to read, with a swipe of his hand, he catches both projectiles without breaking a sweat.

'_ARGH! Damn it!_' gritting his teeth in anger and clenching his fists underwater, Naruto performs a hand seal.

He breaks into the surface, coughing and gagging while Kakashi looks down at him. "What's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, you don't get to eat."

"Whatever! I already know that!" the blonde sputters out angrily, hauling out of the water and dragging himself onto land.

Flipping another page and never taking his eyes off from the pages of the book, "Well, you're quite weak for someone who wants to become Hokage."

"Shut up! I can still fight even with an empty stomach!" he sits up on the ground, "I was careless! That's all!"

"Hmm… ever heard carelessness can lead to one's downfall?" Kakashi briskly walks away, burying his nose in his book.

'_I have to get a bell…!' _Breathing heavily, Naruto glares at his teacher's back.

'_I'm going to make him… acknowledge me!' _A barrage of clones burst out of the river's surface. '_I WILL become a ninja!_'

"Hm?" turning around to stare at the Naruto clones charging from behind. "Shadow clone jutsu, eh? They're not just simple illusionary clones, but they're real. However, with the incredible amount of chakra needed and with your ability, it can only last for a minute."

…

"?"

Suddenly, a clone manages to sneak up behind Kakashi and holds him down. The others continue their frontal assault. Well, anyone with a brain can easily guess what happens next… Kakashi switches places with the Naruto clone and another clone managed to land a hit—a powerful falcon punch intended for Kakashi-sensei—on another clone instead. Fighting ensues among the Naruto clones and Kakashi quietly sneaks away. Sasuke and Sakura sweat drop at the sight. Using substitution jutsu, their Jōnin instructor flees from the chaotic brawl and slinks into the shadows.

**...**

A single teardrop streams down Naruto's face as he finds himself alone in the training grounds. His teammates and teacher nowhere in sight.

When suddenly, a shiny object in his peripheral vision, Naruto whips his head to the side. There, lying innocently on the grass underneath a tree… a single bell of hope!

"OOOHH! A bell! Hehehe… Kaka-sensei might've dropped it when he escaped. Hehe…" the boisterous blonde chortles, running up to grab the silver bell. He reaches out a hand and…

WOOSH! He steps into a simple trap and a rope tied around his ankles sends him flying into the air. "What the hell is this?!" he flails upside down, trying to free himself.

A pair of feet approaches him and Kakashi bends down to grab the bell.

"NOOO! MY LUUUUNCH!"

"Think before you attack… or someone might turn it to their advantage and use it against you." Kakashi takes back the bell, tying it to his vest. "Also… don't fall for such an obvious trap next time, Sir Dead-Last."

"SCREW YOU!"

Sighing tiredly and fixing his ninja headgear, Kakashi lectures him, "A ninja must be able to read what's underneath the underneath."

"I know that!"

"I'm reminding you, because you don't."

"AAARGGGHHHH! I'll kill you!"

Sakura face-palms as the corners of her lips twitches violently. However, a familiar chakra signature approaches her from behind and Sakura whips around in alarm.

"Fighting Tactic Lesson #2: genjutsu." Kakashi casts an illusion just as Sakura turns around.

_Not gonna fall for that, Kaka-sensei!_

Performing a hand seal, "Kai!" his coral-haired student, dispels the jutsu with a flourish. Then performing a back-flip, gravity pulls her down to the earth, but Sakura lands gracefully. Without sparing a glance at her surprised teacher, she body flickers to where Naruto is.

**…**

"Ugh! Almost got it! There!" Naruto struggles as he tries to cut the rope with a kunai. Successfully cutting the rope, he falls down to the ground. "Look underneath the underneath?! What a moron!"

Flipping himself to land on his feet, "Damn it! I'm not going to fall for that again!" he lands swiftly in a crouch… until he steps into another trap. Once again, falling for the same trap twice, the rope flings him into the air. Naruto lets out a yell of surprise, "NOOOO!"

"Hey, Naruto… what's up?" Sakura appears in a tornado of blossoms, smiling up at the gullible blonde.

"H—Wha?! Sakura!" he yelps in surprise.

"…Looks like you fell for such an obvious trap… again." She sighs.

Scratching his cheek, "Uh, well… I mean… I almost got a bell… hehehe…"

"Whatever, just hold still, okay?" she takes out a kunai from her holster and effortlessly threw it at the rope, cutting it immediately.

Naruto scrambles to land gracefully in front of his crush, but ends up landing on his skull instead. Fortunately, he is already an idiot and his thick skull prevents him from taking any more damage. Sakura snorts and helps him to his feet. Rubbing his head, he thanked her.

"WAH! How'd you know I was here?"

"Well… that was pretty entertaining what you did back there."

"Wait… you were watching me fight that old man?!"

"Yes, Naruto… anyway, we should find Sasuke. We need to work together if we want to pass." Sakura tells him, looking around the empty training ground.

"What?! Why can't just the two of us work together?! That bastard ain't worth it!" Naruto complains.

"As much as I hate it, we don't have a choice, Naruto. Now, let's go over that plan again, alright?" she massages her temples.

"Fine." The blonde grumbles reluctantly, following her orders.

Meanwhile, Kakashi watches them with interest from the shadows.

**(*-*)**

"Hmm… not so high and mighty now, are we?" Kakashi hums mockingly, continuing to flip the pages of his book. "You are definitely heads above the others when it comes to ninjutsu." Sasuke glowers darkly at him, only his head sticking out of the ground. The rest of his body is stuck underground, rendering him immobile and defenseless against the silver-haired Jōnin.

_**HOLY MOTHER OF—SWEET JESUS—KAMI—JASHIN—OH LAWD! This is even better! Someone take a freaking picture! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

Sakura tunes out her boisterous inner and gestures at Naruto. The blonde tries to contain his laughter, but pinches himself and imagines a painful image instead. They both silently watch their helpless teammate and mocking instructor behind a tree yards away.

"Fighting Tactic Lesson #3: ninjutsu. Remember it well." Kakashi remarks sarcastically, flipping another page as he turns his back and walks away. Sasuke glares scathingly at his back, but the silver-haired man did not waver.

Sakura and Naruto make sure that their teacher is out of sight before helping out their stuck teammate. After a few moments, the man disappears in a puff of smoke and Naruto and Sakura jump out of their hiding place and run towards their black-haired teammate. It was a sight that made inner-Sakura die with laughter.

The rosette cannot help but bend down in laughter as well. Naruto did the same, dropping and rolling on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. The brooding Uchiha glares at them hatefully.

"I hate you both."

"Aw… we love you too, Chicken Ass." Sakura snickers and he gives her a cold glare.

"C-c-chicken A-ass?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto continues to roll on the ground, rolling away from them before hitting a boulder.

"What? Your hair reminds me of a chicken's ass. Crazy feathers and all. Kind of like a duck's too if I think about it…" she contemplates.

"Just… just… get me out of here… please." He reluctantly grits out, averting his gaze from her amused eyes.

"What? Did I just hear the oh-so-mighty Uchiha beg?" Sakura puts a dainty hand on her mouth, staring at him with mocking wide eyes.

"Don't. Make. Me. Say. It. Again."

Rolling her eyes in amusement, "Yeah, yeah… hold still for a second, will ya?" Sakura kneels on the ground in front of him and slowly puts a finger on the earth. Sending chakra to the pad of her index finger, within a few seconds, the ground underneath cracks and crumbles. A giant fissure breaks apart the solid earth, freeing the shell-shocked Uchiha as he gives her an alien look. Naruto, a few feet away, watches in shock and amazement as the ground splits apart.

Detracting her lone finger from the now ruined and broken layer of soil, Sakura stands up and beams at Sasuke. "Now, time to kick Kaka-sensei's ass!"

"W-w-what… h-how did…" Naruto widens his blue eyes at her. Sasuke chooses not to comment, but glances back and forth between the giant fissure and his cotton candy-haired teammate.

"THAT'S SO COOL, SAKURA!" Naruto whoops in joy, clearly impressed and amazed.

"Thanks, Naruto. But first, let's find Kaka-sensei and show him our teamwork is the best!" she grins at them. Naruto lets out a loud shout of 'yeah' and Sasuke grunts in agreement.

**(*-*)**

"…I see that the three of you manage to find me, but so what? Without any form of strategy, it's useless." Kakashi briefly looks up at the approaching Genins.

"Say whatever you want, old man! This time, we're going to kick your ass!" Naruto points at him.

"Didn't I tell you that those who are all bark and no bite are the useless and talentless ones?" Kakashi raises a brow before turning his attention to his beloved book.

"You'll eat those words!" Naruto grins, feeling more confident with Sakura next to him.

"Oh?" the man slowly lowers the book from his face.

"Alright, team, move out!" Sakura whips out her right hand and Naruto and Sasuke vanish from their positions.

Sakura, however, stays still as she glares at Kakashi.

"…Is this a showdown? Or are you challenging me to a match, Sakura?" Kakashi taunts, trying to study her reactions.

"…Taunting me isn't going to work, Kaka-sensei. You can do better than that." She refuses to take the bait and takes a step forward. The silver-haired Jōnin narrows his eyes, but did not budge. Then, without any warning or hesitation, Sakura body flickers. Dispersing in a flurry of cherry blossoms, she reappears not even a second behind Kakashi. Throwing a chakra-infused punch at the back of his head, she mentally smirks.

Reacting at the last-minute, Kakashi turns around and grabs her wrist and flips her over. Gasping briefly, she regains control mid-air and body flickers once more. Narrowing his uncovered eye at the scattered pink blossoms, Kakashi snaps his book shut and puts it back in a safer place. Only for Sakura to assault him up front, readying a Tsunade worthy punch, her teacher barely had enough time to evade her deadly punch. Her fist made contact with the solid ground, breaking under her strength. The ground cracked and crumbled, creating a three meter radius wide crater, twelve inches deep.

Kakashi, for what seems like the hundredth time, widens his eyes in shock and terror. Who is this pink-haired girl with the strength rivaling that of the Slug Sannin?! No time to think as a barrage of kunai and shuriken flies at him with intense speed—courtesy of Naruto. He performs the hand seals for a substitution jutsu just in time as the deadly projectiles hit their mark. Reappearing a few yards away, he evades another assault from Sakura. This time, she jumps into the air and bringing her foot down in an axe kick, she creates another meteor sized crater that's bigger and deeper than the last one.

Kakashi evades to the side, sweat pouring down the side of his face. '_I can't let her hit me!_' Suddenly, Naruto appears behind his back, reaching for the bells. He snaps back to reality and grabs his wrist before flinging him away.

"AAHHH!" Naruto screams, but Sakura manages to catch him before he hits the ground.

'_Hmm… their teamwork is getting better… however, where's the third one?_'

As if answering his thoughts, Sasuke looms above him in mid-air. "Above you." the Uchiha finishes his hand seals and performs the Uchiha trademark jutsu. A giant ball of fire heads straight towards the Jōnin, scorching the ground with intense heat. Unfortunately, Kakashi body flickers and reappears behind him. Sasuke turns around just in time to block a kick to his chest. Falling to the ground, he braces for the impact until he feels someone's arms around him. Uncovering his face with his arms, he stares in surprise at his coral-haired teammate. Sakura smiles at him and they both vanish in a whirl of blossoms.

Kakashi lands gracefully and he watches the scene with slight interest and amusement, only for Naruto to sneak up behind him and tries to reach for the bells once again.

"You sure are persistent when it comes to stealing these bells, huh, Sir Dead-Last?" he mocks, moving away with blinding speed. Naruto yells in frustration, charging straight at him with a sucker punch. "My, my… how eager, are we?"

"I'll wipe that stupid smile off your face!" the blue-eyed blonde seethes when his teacher side-steps his attack.

"Then try to dodge this!" Naruto retaliates, bringing a roundhouse kick to his opponent's face. Kakashi catches his foot, but Sasuke charges at his right side. Easily dodging a strong high kick from the Uchiha, he grabs his foot. Both boys stare at him with hate, but to no avail cannot free themselves from his grip. Fortunately, Sakura appears behind him, a kunai in hand. Poising the sharp weapon centimeters from his jugular vein, Sakura smirks. Kakashi remains frozen, not moving a single muscle.

_**Hell to the yes! We did it! **_

"Oh my… look at this. You three are actually working together. I'm impressed." The copy-ninja smiles that eye-crinkling cryptic smile at them. Naruto twitches in irritation, Sasuke scoffs, and Sakura sighs in relief.

"Drop the pleasantries, Kaka-sensei. Your sarcasm needs some work." Her kunai flashes against the mid-day sun dangerously.

"Oh, I'm not being sarcastic, Sakura. I'm merely stating my opinion. In fact, I am impressed at all of you. This is the first time rookies like you managed to find the true hidden meaning of this exercise." He calmly replies. Sakura shifts her gaze to the bells tied to the side of his waist; she quickly snatches the silver bells and jumps away from him.

Safe from the sharp object, Kakashi releases his grip on Naruto and Sasuke's foot. They quickly jump away from him as well, creating distance. Sakura proceeds dividing the bells and throws one at Naruto and the other one at Sasuke, leaving her nothing. At that exact moment, the alarm goes off, signaling the end of the test.

"So… did we fail, Kaka-sensei?" Sakura smiles sheepishly at her instructor. The silver-haired man did nothing but sigh as he scratches his head.

"In fact… you did not meet my expectations…" he looks up at the sky.

"What?! But we took the bells!" Naruto complains and Sasuke gives him another glare.

"So… my final decision…"

"Just tell us already, damn it!"

"Shut up, dead-last. Don't shout so loud."

"…is that you all…"

Sakura crosses her arms in anticipation, urging the Jōnin to continue.

"…PASS!" he turns to look at them, giving an exaggerated thumbs-up.

Naruto nearly drops the bell he holds and Sasuke blinks. Sakura beams widely and inner fist pumps.

_**FUCK YEAH! WE PASSED! WE MOTHERFUCKING PASSED!**_

_Whew… I thought for a second he was going to fail us. _

"Now that the test is over. Sakura, do you mind revealing the purpose of the bell test?" Kakashi turns to her.

_W-what? Why's he asking me?_

Giving her a look, "I'm sure you're the one who convinced these…" gesturing towards the male members of Team 7, "…two dolts to work together."

"Teamwork." Sakura says, dropping her arms to her sides.

Giving her a nod, "That's right. Teamwork. The purpose for this test is to see if a team is able to put aside their differences and work together under these circumstances."

Focusing at Naruto, "Naruto, you were too busy running around recklessly by yourself, didn't even bother to plan a strategy with your teammates." The blonde huffs in indignation and turns away from him.

Turning to Sasuke, "Sasuke, you were unwilling to work with your teammates and thinks it's better to work alone." Sasuke remains silent and did not meet his gaze.

Finally at Sakura, "Sakura, I think you're the only one willing to work together, and thus created a plan to directly assault me. Also, you willingly helped your teammates when they were in trouble. For that, great job and I must commend your efforts." He walks towards her and pats her head, ruining her hairstyle. Fortunately, she decided not to stick any senbon needles in her bun this morning.

"…Anyway, you three passed with flying colors. Remember, even though superior individual ability is important for a ninja, teamwork is even more important. Individuality and concern to only one's self plays a dangerous role in every team and has the potential to endanger its members… and can even get its members killed. Being a ninja means risking your life and making tough life and death choices." Kakashi continues. His three students listening to every word he says, taking it all in.

Kakashi slowly walks towards a monument, stopping in front of a slab of black stone with the leaf insignia. Numerous names are carved upon the stone. "This stone here… are carved with numerous names. Ninjas, who are recognized as heroes of our village."

"Heroes?! Hey, hey! I've decided I want my name carved there too! A hero! I'll become one!" Naruto proclaims and Sakura sighs.

_Naruto… you don't understand. Those names…_

Glancing at the loud blonde before looking back at the stone, "…But they're not just heroes."

"Oh yeah?! What kind of heroes?!"

"…"

_**Gosh, Naruto! You're so dense!**_

"…They were all… KIA."

"Uh… what? What does that mean?" Naruto asks skeptically.

Sighing and rubbing her temples, "He meant they were all ninjas killed in action. Names of heroes who died in their missions." Sakura stares at the memorial.

"!" Naruto drops his smile and looks away awkwardly, dropping his head in shame.

"…" Sasuke did not say anything as he continues to stare at the carved names.

"Correct… this is a memorial. My best friend's name was carved here, too."

_He probably meant Obito…_

"That's why…" Kakashi turns around to look at them.

"…A ninja must be able to see what's underneath the underneath. Yes, those who break the rules are trash…" the masked ninja throws his head back, looking up at the sky.

Sakura snaps back to reality as nostalgia and memories slap her across the face.

"…But those who abandon their comrades are even worse than trash."

'_Kaka-sensei is so cool!_' Naruto beams, looking at his teacher in awe.

Sasuke remains silent, but a small smirk forms across his face and Sakura grins widely at him.

"…So that's that. Let me say this again, you all pass. Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin its duties." The infamous son of the White Fang proudly proclaims.

"YAY! I DID IT! I'M A NINJA NOW!" Naruto shouts to the sky.

"That you are." Kakashi smiles at his three new students. Naruto grabs his two precious teammates and crushes them into a giant bear hug.

"YEAH! TEAM 7!" he shouts happily. Sakura smiles brightly at her two boys and Sasuke begrudgingly lets the blonde idiot crush him in a suffocating hug.

"Why don't we celebrate at Ichiraku? My treat." Kakashi suggests, hands in his pockets.

Naruto immediately perks up at the mention of his favorite restaurant in the entire Ninja World. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Kakashi chuckles at their amusing behavior, but he feels proud nonetheless. They are now officially Team 7!

* * *

**Omake:**

Sakura shuts the door leading to the Hokage's office close. Hiruzen looks up from the pile of papers he had been reading. Putting down his ink brush, he greets the pink-haired member of Team 7.

"Congratulations, Miss Haruno, for passing the bell test. After all, this is the first time Kakashi passes a team." The third folds his fingers together.

"Yeah! Thank you, Lord Sarutobi." Sakura bows and walks to stand in front of his desk, looking at all the huge stack of papers and scrolls.

"Indeed… I was watching through my crystal ball." He hums, pulling out a drawer and taking out his smoking pipe. Sakura scrunches her face in disgust.

"Why do you always smoke? It's bad for your health, Lord Sarutobi. You'll die early." Sakura chastises.

He chuckles lightly at her response, "I am already old, my dear." He lights up the pipe and breathes in.

"Stubborn old man. Anyway, I'm excited to finally start doing missions." Sakura walks to a large scroll situated at one of the bookshelves. She opens the scroll and stares at the written characters, understanding that it is a summoning scroll.

"Ah, that is my summoning scroll." Hiruzen notices the large scroll in her hands, blowing out smoke from his lips.

_Is he talking about the monkey? Enma? _

"Oh… I see." Sakura slowly puts it back on the bookshelf and grabs a smaller scroll instead. "Lord Sarutobi? May I borrow some of these scrolls and practice? I really need to work on my medical ninjutsu and genjutsu and maybe some fūinjutsu and senjutsu." She asks him, albeit nervously.

"Yes, you may. You may borrow as many scrolls as you want as long as you have my permission." The Hokage nods his head. Sakura thanked him and briefly scans through all the scrolls and takes what she needs. Then she stumbles upon a strange yet familiar looking scroll. Picking it up, she studies it closely, wondering why it is pink. Then recognizing the strange markings, she nearly gasps. This scroll…! Quickly and quietly stuffing it inside her red qipao top, she gathers all the scrolls she needs.

"Thank you for the scrolls, Lord Sarutobi. I have to go now, my mother is waiting for me at home." She smiles as someone behind the door is approaching. She immediately recognizes the familiar chakra signature.

The Hokage nods at her, "You are very welcome, Miss Haruno. Feel free to drop by anytime you want."

Grinning and giving him a mock salute, she body flickers and the pink petals furiously scatter everywhere.

"Excuse me, Lord Hokage… may I have a moment?" the spiky haired masked ninja opens the door after knocking.

Looking up from his paper work, "Good afternoon, Kakashi."

* * *

**Ugh… I have to stop here. My brain hurts from all this writing. This is why I really hate writing fight scenes. New warning added also, terrible fight scenes! I suck… they're so hard! Amen to those who are able to pull it off. **

**Anyway, these omakes are just simple continuation/extensions included in these chapters. They may or may not be relevant to the plot and they are supposed to be less serious and funnier. Otherwise, without any humor, this story would be bland and boring—in my opinion. But oh well… I'll work on that. **

**This story is probably progressing slowly, but I promise next chapter is where they start their first official mission! The Land of Waves/Zabuza Arc! With Haku included, of course. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 5: First B-Rank Mission: Protect the bridge builder, Mr. Tazuna!

* * *

"…Everyone in their positions?" Kakashi fiddles with his ex-communicator around his neck, watching from behind several trees as he reads his beloved book. What a lazy bastard… making his cute little students do all the work. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are hiding behind the trees; eyes warily watching their target shuffling around the clearing. The tall and thick trees loom above them, obscuring most of the sky and sunlight filters through the leaves, leaving white spots around the area. The forest is quiet, only the occasional sounds of rustling leaves and the whistling wind can be heard. Aside from their target shifting nervously around the clearing of the forest, scratching and digging at the dirt.

Naruto focuses solely on their target, "Yeah."

Grunting in response, Sasuke peaks over from a tree branch, "Same here."

…

…

"…Sakura? How about you?" Kakashi asks.

"…" not choosing to reply as she fixes the gadget, instead opting to hum the Mission Impossible theme loudly through the communicator.

_**We're like spies! Dark as the night! CHA!**_

Naruto and Sasuke sweat drop and nearly gave away their positions upon hearing their eccentric teammate through the communicator.

Kakashi face-palms and drops his head, "Moving on… what's the estimated distance to the target?"

"…About five meters." Sasuke replies, narrowing his eyes at the small figure.

"Ok, team… GO!"

With outstanding teamwork and synchronized movements—all those D-Rank missions finally paid off!—the trio vanish from their hiding spots and charge at their target, appearing a few meters. The shadowed figure shifts in alarm and Sakura's eyes glint dangerously.

"Gotcha, you ugly hairball!" Naruto launches himself at the furry creäture with such speed, catching it from behind. He firmly wraps his arms around the thrashing creäture, never letting go. Sakura and Sasuke stand behind the blonde, eyeing the meowing and wriggling menace warily and in amusement—in Sakura's case.

"NYAAAAAAAAAAA!" the wild cat wearing a cute pink ribbon tied to its right ear screeches, trying to scratch the ever-living daylights out of its attacker/captor.

"It was a success, Kaka-sensei. We captured the kitty." Sakura hums in satisfaction, fixing her long braid.

"God damn it, stupid cat! Stop movi—AGHHHHHH! It's scratching me! WAH! Sto—HELP ME! Someone!" Naruto shrieks in horror as the furred menace continues its assault, scratching him wildly across his face. Poor Naruto did not stand a chance against the angry cat's sharp claws, digging it deeply into his flesh. Do not worry, with Sakura's amazing medical abilities, it will heal in no time.

Sasuke scoffs in amusement, watching his idiotic rival utterly helpless against the cat's furious assault.

"Are you sure it's the correct target? A pink ribbon around its right ear." Kakashi asks monotonously over the noise.

"AAAAHHH! SAKURA! BASTARD! HEEELLLLLP—OUCH!"

Fixing the volume of the communicator, Sasuke answers, "Yeah, it's definitely it."

Somewhere in an open clearing, sitting on a tree stump while reading his precious orange book, "Great! Lost Pet Tora Search Mission: Complete!"

Sakura and Sasuke turn to each other, a wide grin and a smug smirk on their faces. Then turning briefly towards the blonde on the forest floor, still fighting the cat's wrathful fury, they both sigh.

"ACK! OOOOWWW! NOOO! NOT THE FACE!" Naruto flails wildly, trying to keep the furred menace from further assaulting his face.

After a pause, "…Why don't we just leave him there?" Sasuke suggests to his pink-haired teammate.

"Well, as tempting as that sounds… I think we should help him." Sakura replies, feeling sympathy towards her precious teammate.

"I'M DYING! I'M DYING! OH KAMI HELP ME! IT HUUURRTSSS!"

**(=◦^◦=)**

Clutching and firmly hugging the cat to her chest, the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord's wife, Madame Shijimi cries tears of joy upon reuniting with her adorable bundle of fur. "Oh, Tora! My poor baby! I was so worried! My cute little precious! Mwah! Mwah! Come to mama!" she squeals in happiness, as her cat struggles to desperately escape from her tight hold. Clawing at her meaty arms to no avail, Tora mewls in anguish at her stout owner. Oh, how cruel the gods are! To bestow such a cruel fate upon an innocent creature who has not sinned!

'_HAH! That's what you get, you stupid cat!_' Naruto snickers to himself, watching the cat's desperate struggle.

_I think that's the reason why her cat ran away in the first place… _Sakura watches the scene in mild amusement, the owner snuggling and suffocating the crying cat to her bosom. Then switches her beryl eyes towards the seated Hokage and Iruka-sensei several feet away, behind a long wooden desk.

His smoking pipe situated between his lips as usual, he holds up a piece of paper and examines it. "Now… Team 7, your next mission would be… Hmm… Babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in a neighboring village, and helping with digging potatoes."

"NO! NO! NO! No, thank you, old man! I wanna do something else! Like, catching a missing ninja, escort a princess, fight bandits, kick a bad guy's ass! Something kick ass! I wanna show the world how much of a badass I am! So find us a better mission!" Naruto crosses his arms in an X sign, ranting loudly at the Hokage.

'_I agree with dead-last…_' Sasuke thinks.

'_Well… we've been doing D-Rank missions since we became a team… I guess a change of pace wouldn't hurt._' Kakashi sighs tiredly.

_**I know right?! All these D-Rank missions are boring! Give us something better, like… an A-Rank or an S-Rank mission! **_

_Inner… at our current level right now, I don't think Lord Sarutobi would let us. Even though our chakra reserves are much larger and with our still acquired skills from Tsunade's training… we'll probably get killed. _Sakura gulps, imagining falling down a dark abyss and Madara laughing at her misfortune as thunder rolls and lightning flashes behind him.

Slamming his hands on the desk, Iruka bolts up from his seat next to the Hokage, shouting at Naruto. "What are you talking about?! Naruto, you're just a rookie! Everyone starts off with simple missions, then works their way up!"

Hiruzen lets out a small sigh, tilting his Kage hat and Sakura rolls her eyes at Naruto's childishness. Sasuke wants to pummel the hyperactive blonde idiot and Kakashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"But! But, Iruka-sensei! We keep getting stupid missions! It's always the crappiest!" Naruto shouts back.

"Naruto, don't shout at your superiors. Show some respect." Kakashi smacks him at the back of his head, successfully shutting him up.

Letting out another sigh and taking out his smoking pipe from his lips, the Hokage speaks up, "Naruto, it seems like I have to explain to you what the purpose of these missions are."

Rubbing his sore cranium and listening to the elder man's words, Naruto begrudgingly shuts his mouth and straightens up.

"Listen, every day, our village receive numerous mission requests. From babysitting children… to assassinations." Giving him a stern look.

He looks down at the desk filled with an array of varying ranked scrolls, piles of paper, an ink brush and tablet, books and a wooden ash tray. "Each request is written down in these scrolls… and divided into ranks ranging from A through D, depending on their difficulty."

Then looking up and giving Team 7 a calculating, yet gentle look, "All ninjas in every village are divided into rankings, based on their skills. Starting with me at the top, as the Kage, then a Jōnin, Chūnin, and a Genin. Missions are handed out by those at a higher rank and including the Kage to ninjas based on their skills and ranking."

Madame Shijimi happily hands a gracious amount of paper bills to one of the elders in charge of the treasury. Tora, however, stays petrified and paralyzed in her arms.

"…If a mission is completed successfully, we receive payments from the clients."

Holding up a D-Rank scroll as he points his pipe at the complaining blonde, "You three recently graduated from the academy. Becoming a mere Genin, therefore, you will only receive D-Rank missions until you become a Chūnin."

Naruto sits on the wooden floor along with Sasuke and Sakura, talking to his team, "Say, I had pork ramen last night, so miso sounds good. I'm hungry."

"…" Kakashi did not answer and Sakura agrees, nodding her head.

"I know right? Miso is so good. I had chow mein, pork gyōza, and fried squid rings with plum-flavored sake last night. What about you, Sasuke? What's your favorite food?" the coral-haired girl puts a finger to her chin as she turns to him.

"Hn." He did not answer immediately, averting his gaze outside the window.

"Hah! He probably eats fried rats and snakes! And he drinks blood from dead chickens and ducks he kills every night!" Naruto blurts out, pointing and narrowing his eyes at their duck butt-haired teammate.

_**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Naruto! **_

_Geez… give it a rest, Naruto._

Sasuke glares at Naruto hatefully, hands twitching to perform a fire type jutsu to scorch him to crisp. Kakashi sighs and rubs his head in exhaustion. "Now, now… you two. We're in the presence of the Hokage. Behave yourselves."

Hiruzen massages his temples tiredly, trying to gain their attention. Iruka remains standing as he watches his former students with pride, shaking his head and smiling to himself.

The Hokage clears his throat and Kakashi apologizes for his team's rude behavior—especially Naruto's. "I…I apologize, Lord Hokage." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sheesh! All you do is give long-ass lectures all the time, old man!" Naruto retorts. "But you know what?! I'm not that stupid trouble-making brat you still think I am!" then he turns his back and puffs his cheeks out in irritation.

Sakura smiles fondly at his words. _That is something only Naruto would say._

Kakashi's right eye twitches and he lets out a small sigh. '_I'll probably get yelled at later for this… Oh well…_ _I give up._'

Iruka stares at his former student in shock, but understands that he has grown well and smiles. The third, too, smiles fondly at Naruto's words.

"Alright then, if you insist… I will give Team 7 a worthy mission." He blows out smoke from his lips, pulling out a scroll. "…It is a C-Rank mission, guarding a certain individual."

Naruto jumps up in happiness, "Yeah! Who?! Who?! Is it a princess? A feudal lord?" he gushes out in excitement.

"Calm yourself, Naruto, I am about to introduce him." The Hokage shifts his gaze towards the sliding doors. "You may enter."

The sliding doors suddenly open and an elderly looking man clutching an expensive-looking bottle of saké enters. Sakura's right eye twitches at the familiar sight of the bitter and cynical bridge builder as she takes in his gruff and rowdy appearance.

"…Hah? What's this? They're all just a bunch of stupid little brats." He takes a swig of saké, then wipes his arm across his lips, leaning against the door frame like a drunkard. "...'Specially that retarded looking brat with cat scratch marks on his face, sticking out like a plastic traffic cone in that ugly neon orange jumpsuit. Are you even a ninja?! Hey!" he studies them.

…

…

…

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, OLD MAN!" Naruto rushes to pummel him, but his teacher grabs him by the scruff of his collar.

"Naruto, under any circumstances, you cannot kill the client you're supposed to protect." Kakashi says, holding back the thrashing blonde.

_**Ugly neon orange jumpsuit…? **_

_Well, his fashion sense isn't the best… and the bright color—_

_**Literally screams "I'm a target!" for pedophilic snake men/rapists and S-Rank criminals. **_

…_Exactly._

Waving off the boisterous blonde's behavior, the man introduces himself. "I am the bridge builder expert, Tazuna. I expect you all to provide me safety and protection 'til I get back to my country to complete a building project."

_And… our first ever B-Rank mission starts… sigh._

_**HELLS YEAH! LET'S KICK SOME ASS! WOOOOOOOH! BRING IT ON! CHA!**_

**…**

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Sakura makes sure that everything is prepared and ready. She slips on her beaded bracelets that serve as weights and pours her chakra inside each glassy marble. She watches her blue chakra flicker and turn to a lighter pink hue as it fills every bead. Then she turns to her two beige ninja pouches, checking everything she needs. Pulling out a couple of small scrolls, she seals every item necessary. A small pack of senbon needles, a vial of poison, antidotes, two packs of explosive tags, a dozen sets of shuriken and kunai, ninja wire, her medical supplies, medicine, some rations and energy bars, and a pair of black gloves.

After carefully sealing all the items, she tucks in the scrolls inside one of her ninja pouches. Walking towards her mirror, Sakura decides to wear her hair in a simple bun and tucks in a few senbon needles in her up-do, coated with poison along the tips. Grinning at her image, her smile falls off her face as she catches sight of the pink scroll. Sighing and turning to her vanity stand, Sakura stares at the scroll as if mocking her very existence.

_This pink scroll… sent me back in time… and how… how did it end up in the Hokage's office?_

_**Well, whatever it is… we can always go to Hiruzen and ask him, right?**_

_I guess… but first, we have to focus on this mission. Priorities straight! _Sakura puts on her game face and pumps her fist in the air.

_**I'm sooo ready! CHA!**_

Glancing at the scarlet clock on the wall, Sakura grabs her ninja pouches and dark blue holster and puts them on. With only fifteen minutes to spare, she runs downstairs and kisses her mother goodbye. Mebuki, with watery eyes, bids her only daughter goodbye and smothers her in a hug while wishing her luck and safety. Sakura chuckles and promises to return safe with her team and giving her mother one last hug, she body flickers and disperses in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

**( ◦ ◦ ◦ )**

Arriving four minutes later with a stick of dango between her lips, Sakura casually greets her team with a nonchalant wave. Carrying a midnight blue backpack, she slowly walks to her team waiting outside the open gates. Mr. Tazuna stands a little away from her team, glancing and shifting around nervously. Nobody seem to pay any mind to the bridge builder.

"Sakura! You're late!" Naruto yells at her. "Even Kakashi-sensei arrived earlier than you did!"

She stops in front of the whining blonde, with a blank look on her face, she pulls out a cup of instant ramen and hands it to him. "Here, I brought this for you. Just in case, you get hungry. By the way, Konohamaru says hi."

Ceasing his annoying and irritating screech, Naruto nearly jumps for joy and shakily reaches out for the packaged cup of Shōyu flavored instant ramen. "A-are y-you serious, Sakura…? T-this is… for me?!" Naruto holds the precious cup of instant ramen dearly and close to his beating heart, basking in the wonderful scent of tangy and savory soy sauce. This is pure bliss…!

"Yes, my adopted son. Consider it a gift from your surrogate mother." Sakura casually replies, fixing her bun. Sasuke chokes on air and tries to stifle his shock through coughing and Kakashi merely watches the two with amusement and interest.

"Huh?" Naruto snaps out of his daydream and wipes the dripping drool from his lips, but Sakura waves it off.

"Nothing, Naruto. Just try not to eat it too quickly, okay? I only brought one." She smiles tiredly at him.

"Thanks, Sakura! You're awesome!" he gushes out, staring starry-eyed at her.

"Alright, then! Now that everyone is here, we can finally proceed with our mission." Kakashi claps his hand, earning everyone's attention.

"Yeah, mission! Mission! Let's go!" Naruto throws his fists up in the air. "I've never seen the outside before! This's the first time I'm leaving the village!"

Tazuna speaks up, gesturing at Naruto, "Am I really safe with this brat around?"

Naruto twitches angrily and Kakashi pipes up, "Haha, it's fine! I'm a Jōnin after all."

'_God damn it! This old geezer is the worst! I should give him a shot to the face!_' Naruto pouts at the unfairness. "Hey! Old man! Don't mess with us, ninjas! I'm awesome!" he points at Tazuna.

Sasuke sighs tiredly and Sakura watches the scene with a bored look on her face, opting to watch the two idiotic gatekeepers off to the side. Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki as usual sit behind the booths, keeping watch of the gigantic wooden gates of Konoha. The dynamic duo watches Team 7 and their client with amusement, quietly chatting and giggling to themselves like a bunch of silly immature Genins. Sakura is tempted to holler and call out their attention, but chooses not to.

'_There are still lots of time to get acquainted with others later, but for now…_' she discreetly watches Tazuna from the corner of her eye.

She listens in just in time to hear one of Naruto's 'I will be Hokage one day' speeches. "One day… I'll take on the best ninja title Hokage! Thy name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it, old man!"

'_What the fuck? Did he seriously just say "Thy name is"?' _Sasuke blinks at his blonde teammate in surprise.

"Hokage, eh? Isn't that the highest title and the leader of a village? I doubt you could make it, kid." Tazuna pulls out a bottle of saké from his worn-out pack and takes a sip.

Screaming angrily and loudly at the bridge builder, "SHUT UP! I'll be Hokage one day, just you watch, old man! Then you'll finally acknowledge me!"

Rubbing his temples tiredly, Kakashi snaps his book shut and puts it back inside his pouch.

Taking a swig of saké, Tazuna gives him a blank stare. "…No, I won't, brat… even if you did become the Hokage."

…

…

…

"I'LL KILL YOUUUUUU!" Naruto rages, but his teacher pulls him back abruptly.

"Naruto, calm down. And please, don't kill our client." Kakashi sighs.

Team 7 and Mr. Tazuna make their way to the Land of Waves, eager to start their first mission. However, unaware of two dark figures watching them from the thick shrubs.

**(^_^)**

After walking for a while now, Sakura shifts uncomfortably at the deafening silence and breaks the ice. Feigning innocence and ignorance, she turns to her instructor and asks him a question. "Um… Kaka-sensei, do they have ninjas in the Land of Waves?" she blinks up at him.

Looking down at his coral-haired student with a smile, "No, not in their country. But… in most other countries… their culture and customs may be different, but hidden villages exist, and so do ninjas."

Kakashi holds up his index finger, explaining the inner workings of hidden villages and vice-versa as his cute students listen to his boring lecture in the middle of a possibly life-threatening so-called C-Rank mission.

"As you can see… according to many countries out there, the existence of a Shinobi village means military power. This is how countries hold and maintain advantages over each other. However, that doesn't mean hidden villages rule the countries, they just stand equally along with the country's ruling government—the feudal lords that rule and control each country/land. On the other hand, a tiny island country like the Wave doesn't receive much interferences from the larger and more powerful countries, and thus, they don't require a Shinobi village. Within the numerous Shinobi villages, the following villages are: Leaf, Mist, Cloud, Sand, and Rock are one of the largest and most powerful out of all hidden villages and are often referred to as The Great Five Shinobi Countries. These are the only countries that receive the title of 'Kage' as their leader. The five Kages are the: Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Naruto looks up at the sky, "I didn't know that old man was that strong!"

"Don't doubt our Hokage, Naruto. He's stronger than you think." Kakashi smiles and ruffles his head. "Besides, there won't be any ninja combat in C-Rank missions, so there's nothing to worry about."

"…" Tazuna looks down with unease as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face, pursing his lips in worry. Sasuke catches the subtle action, but chooses not to comment as he observes the elder man. Sakura shifts her gaze from Tazuna to her surroundings, trying to sense any foreign chakra within the vicinity.

When suddenly they come across a puddle on the dry ground. Kakashi briefly looks down at his distorted reflection before snapping his attention back on the road. Sakura lingers behind her team, carefully watching the puddle on the ground. Surrounded with nothing but tall, looming trees, Sakura stops a few yards ahead. Her hand itching to grab a kunai with an exploding tag attached, debating whether or not to throw the damn kunai at it and watch the puddle explode.

_**Wouldn't that be funny? Just imagine their reactions!**_

_I don't know, Inner… should I? I mean, Naruto and Sasuke need this experience._

_**Meh, whatever suits you, I guess… although, it'd be more hilarious to watch it explode!**_

Her teacher notices her odd behavior and turns his head towards her. Stopping in his tracks, he walks back to where Sakura stands. Naruto and Sasuke stop as well and turn to look at their teammate, while Tazuna halts and stares at the ground uneasily. "Sakura, is something wrong?" he gently asks, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She slowly looks up at him, gracing him with a fake smile, "No, it's nothing, sensei… it's just that…" she shifts her gaze behind her, gesturing subtly towards the misplaced puddle in the middle of the dirt road. The sun's rays filter through the thick foliage, casting tiny white dots upon the forest floor and the dirt road. A slight breeze picks up; the trees and leaves sway and rustle.

Kakashi understands what she is trying to convey and lifts the hand on her shoulder to ruffle her head playfully. He makes sure not to touch her bun, though, for the senbon needles glint dangerously against the bright sun. Instead, he gives her an encouraging smile, "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm your sensei after all… and I promise not to let anything happen to all my cute little students, all right?"

She gives him a slow and uncertain nod, hesitating whether or not to trust his comforting words. Anything could happen, right now…!

Suddenly with a spike of malice and foreign chakra, Sakura snaps into action. _The Demon Brothers! _Sensing a barrage of shurikens heading towards the two of them, she swiftly grabs her teacher's hand and they both vanish in a swirl of cherry blossoms, surprising her teammates and the bridge builder. The sharp weapons lodge deeply into the earth as their intended targets vanished from their spots. They reappear in front of their team and Sakura glares darkly at the two ninjas emerging from the puddle.

_Ah, shit, no! I screwed up! They were supposed to attack Kaka-sensei first and… he watches us from the shadows and lets us experience ninja combat first-hand! But I… just moved on my own…! My reflexes and instinct… _

_**You dun goofed! Well, no use crying over spilt milk… might as well deal with it and see where this goes. I'm taking the backseat. **_

The two suspicious and deadly looking ninjas are armed with what looks like a lethal looking metallic contraption around their arm. With sharp and pointed steel claws, tipped with poison. Also, a long chain of sharp tipped weapons protrude from their contraption, wrapping around the metal. They smirk evilly to themselves before charging straight at the petrified Genins—minus Sakura—and the surprised bridge builder and apathetic instructor.

_Shit! Are they planning on taking us head-on?!_

The long and sharp chains burst out of their deadly contraption, heading straight for Kakashi. However, Sakura shoves him away and pulls out two kunais then throws them at the oncoming chains and pins them to a tree. The two assassins abruptly stop in their tracks, the range of the chains only goes up to two meters.

'_Whoa, Sakura! How did you…?_' Naruto stares at her in wonder and Sasuke shoots her a strange look, as if trying to study her.

"Tch!" one of them glares at her and they both grab ahold of the contraptions around their arm and quickly spun them in a clockwise direction, snapping the chains free. One of them rushes towards the pink-haired girl and the other one targeting Tazuna. Sasuke snaps into action and jumps in front of the elder man, blocking the deadly weapon with a kunai. He grits his teeth in frustration, glaring back at the Mist ninja and quickly averts his gaze towards his female teammate. The sound of metals clashing and sending sparks seem to have woken up the petrified blonde. Naruto shakes his head clear and looks ahead at Sakura standing in front of him.

Sakura, on the other hand, stares down the furious Mist ninja charging straight at her with his sharp metallic claws ready to tear her to shreds. When he suddenly appears right in her face, Sakura jumps into the air and purposely dodges the oncoming attack. In turn, the ninja halts for a moment before swiping his metallic claws at Naruto instead. Arms shaking by his sides and the feeling of something stirring in his intestines, Naruto stares at the intimidating ninja in horror. With instincts finally kicking in, the blonde jumps back in fear, but the sharp metal already cuts into the back of his palm, tearing the skin. He gasps at the stinging pain and watches as small droplets of blood fall to the earth, staining it red.

'_Fuck! Naruto!_' Sasuke widens his eyes before turning his attention at the enemy in front of him.

_**Alright! Time to kick some ass! CHA!**_

Righting herself mid-air, Sakura rears back her left fist and using gravity to pull her down, she strikes at the ground next to the enemy. With tremendous force and energy controlled and contained, she shatters the rocky ground, creating a crater instead of an earthquake. The enemy ninja shouts in alarm as he tumbles backward into the deep crater, but not before Sakura aims a deadly punch to his gut, sending him flying out of the crater and crashing into a tree. He slumps down unconscious against the splintered tree and Sakura turns her attention at the ninja attacking her chicken butt-haired teammate.

_**SHAANNAROO, BITCH!**_

Then jumping once again into the air, she rears back her right fist and upon contact with the ground beside the surprised enemy, shatters it once more. Sasuke grabs the shocked and slightly terrified Tazuna to safety and jumps back from the shattering impact. Tiny pieces of shattered rock and soil covers the entire field. Once the dust settles, Sakura is standing next to the unconscious Mist assassin triumphantly, hands to her waist and eyes closed as she stares up at the sky.

…_I think I overdid it… Kaka-sensei is probably wary and Sasuke would never let me live it down and Naruto… well, he's Naruto._

She opens her beryl eyes and surveys the two giant craters on the ground and the tiny shattered debris scattered among the earth. _Well, fuck. Looks like something Tsunade-shishō would pull._

Naruto continues to stay frozen in shock and fear, feeling numb. Sasuke pockets back the kunai inside his holster and Tazuna wipes his face with the towel around his shoulders. Kakashi emerges from the trees where Sakura shoved him earlier and assesses the damage. He scratches the back of his head questioningly before picking up the knocked out assassin from the splintered and fallen tree before body flickering to the other one beside Sakura's feet. He picks up the fallen enemy around his neck and turns to his female student. "Good job, Sakura, for neutralizing the threat. I didn't expect you to take action so quickly and not to mention noticing the puddle on the way here." The young ninja nods her head tiredly, even though she did not use a huge amount of chakra.

The masked ninja gives her one final look before turning to her other teammates. "Sasuke, good job on protecting Tazuna." He grunts in reply before shoving his hands forcefully into his pockets. Kakashi proceeds to carry the unconscious Mist assassins by their necks and ties them to a tree nearby, wrapping a thick rope around their drooping forms and tying it firmly. He dusts off his gloved hand before turning to Naruto. "Naruto, I'm sorry that I didn't interfere and got you injured. After all, they were assassins from Mist… and they seem to be targeting someone…" he narrows his lone eye and Tazuna gulps.

Naruto looks down in shame and clenches his fists. '_Damn it! I was useless! I was scared, but…! Sakura and Sasuke weren't even bothered…_' he glances at his two teammates. Sasuke looks apathetic and cold as always, with his hands inside his pockets. Sakura, too, did not waver and stands to the side while fixing her pack and pouches; making sure everything is still intact. He hisses in pain at tearing the healing wound open, small tear drops of crimson streams down his palm and drips down to the grassy ground. '_I wasn't able to do anything! What kind of ninja I am who can't even protect his friends?!_'

"You alright… scaredy-cat?" Sasuke's mocking voice snaps him back to reality. Naruto clenches his teeth in anger, glaring heatedly at his rival.

"Naruto, save it for later. Meanwhile, we have to treat your cut. Their claws were tipped with poison." The blonde gapes and looks at the bleeding cut on his palm.

"We have to drain the poison from your body quickly, otherwise it could be fatal. Anyway, stop moving around in order to prevent the toxins from spreading throughout your systems." Then, Kakashi shifts his attention towards the bridge builder. "Mr. Tazuna…"

"W-what is it?" the elder man looks away uncomfortably.

"…We need to talk."

Sakura crosses her arms nonchalantly and walks to stand beside Sasuke and shoots Naruto a sympathetic glance. _I'm so sorry Naruto, but you need this…_

Sasuke turns his head to give her a look and Sakura sticks her tongue out at him, albeit jokingly. _I'm not telling you!_ She mouths and the raven-haired boy stiffens in surprise and irritation. His right eye twitches at her odd behavior, but did not question it further.

After a few minutes of having a conversation with the bridge builder, Kakashi walks towards the tied up ninjas, still unconscious from Sakura's attacks earlier. "These are Chūnins from Kirigakure, the Demon Brothers. Ninjas from Kiri are infamous in continuing their missions until accomplished no matter what and fighting to the death." He says, gesturing at the Mist ninjas.

"W-what? How did these guys found us?" Tazuna asks.

"…They were concealing themselves from that puddle. However, they made a fatal mistake of placing it during a hot summer day. Besides, it hasn't rained in weeks." Sakura replies on Kakashi's stead and he widens his eyes at her careful observation.

"Sakura's right. That puddle was suspicious right from the beginning." He adds.

"T-then… why did you let them fight?" the bridge builder observes the slight twitching of one of the Mist ninjas.

"Well, I could've easily handled these two… but, I just want to make something clear. Who were they after exactly." The silver-haired man gives Tazuna a stern look.

"What do you mean?" Tazuna gives him a questioning look.

"I want to know if they were either after you or one of us. We weren't informed that ninjas are after your head. Our mission is to only protect you from lowly thieves and gangs." Kakashi explains. "Now that I'm certain that ninjas are after you, Mr. Tazuna, this mission is now at least a B-Rank. It was supposed to be a simple escort mission to Waves until you have completed the bridge." Kakashi glances at his three students before turning back to him and Tazuna looks down silently. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but lying about it causes problems and compromises the mission. We are now operating outside our duties."

"…" Sakura chooses not to add anything nor comment about Naruto's condition and Sasuke next to her glances back and forth between the two adults.

Their Jōnin instructor turns fully towards Naruto, giving him a pitying look, "Hmm… this situation is turning dire and… I think it's best to return to the village and treat Naruto."

Glaring intensely at Kakashi, Naruto refuses to back down nor run away in this kind of situation. Whipping out a kunai, he stabs the sharp weapon directly into the open cut. He bites his bottom lip in pain and refuses to cry out, digging the pointed object deeper into the gushing wound. Blood gushes out and drips down to the grass and Naruto watches his palm bleed. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Tazuna gape at him in shock. Sakura lets a tiny smile cross her face before schooling her features blank. _Here goes another speech… _

'_Why is there so much of a difference…_' He stares up at his two teammates through watery eyes, biting back the excruciating pain. '_Why am I always… Damn it!_'

"Naruto, you…!" Kakashi widens his lone eye at his blonde student.

'_I should've been stronger… I've completed many missions already and practiced jutsus! I don't need to be saved ever again. I'm not going to be afraid anymore… and I'm not going to run. I won't lose to Sasuke!_' He grits his teeth, bleeding hand shaking from the pain as he clutches the kunai tightly. '_I swear it on this pain on my left hand!_'

"I swear… on this kunai. I'll definitely protect the old man! We're going to continue our mission!" Naruto grins through the pain, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

…

…

…

"Um, my son… it's great that you managed to take out most of the poison from your wound, but… with blood gushing out like a waterfall from stabbing your palm, you'll die of blood loss." Sakura deadpans as Kakashi nods his head in agreement and Sasuke scoffs scornfully at him.

…

…

…

"Uh… what… N-NO! I don't wanna die from something like this! WEEEEEHH!" Naruto flails around frantically, pulling out the kunai and trying to stop the bleeding.

Letting out a long and loud sigh, Kakashi trudges towards him and gently takes his bleeding hand, "Let me see your wound." He reaches into his pouch and pulls out a long strip of bandages, never taking his eye off the cut.

"He-help me, sensei! I-I can't die yet!" Naruto whimpers and Sakura pats his back soothingly, leaving her place beside Sasuke.

Wrapping his hand with the bandages, Kakashi narrows his eyes at the already closing wound. The skin slowly regenerates, stitching it back in place. '_It's already healing…_' Then he looks up at the sniveling blonde. '_Must be the power from the nine-tailed fox._'

"A-Am I going to be okay, sensei?" he sniffs and Sakura retracts her hand from his back.

"…It should be fine."

Tazuna clears his throat and speaks up, facing Team 7, "Excuse me, sensei… but we need to talk."

* * *

**Omake:**

"Lord Sarutobi! There's something—" Sakura bursts into the Hokage's office in a hurry; she only have fourteen minutes left before departing for her first B-Rank mission. She halts once she sees two familiar Jōnin standing in front of the Hokage's desk, probably reporting for their mission. Genma Shiranui and Raidō Namiashi turn their heads to look at the disturbance and Sakura immediately freezes in her spot, somewhat intimidated by the elite ninjas' scrutinizing stares.

_Ah… what… why… out of all the Jōnin… why them…? _

_**KYAAAAAAA! Hot men! Konoha's Hokage's elite bodyguards! EEEKKK!**_

Hiruzen merely raises a brow and regards the pink-haired kunoichi with a look, "Oh? How may I be of service, Miss Haruno?"

Shifting in her spot between the door frames, she looks away from the three adults. _This bad timing… ugh… _She keeps fiddling with one of her beige pouches, making sure the pink scroll is still intact. She clears her throat and turns her head to look straight into the Hokage's eyes. "It is alright, Lord Hokage. I will return later. I can see that you are busy." She glances at the two Jōnin regarding her with curiosity.

The elder man chuckles and shakes his head, "No, it is alright, Miss Haruno. You can stay. Genma and Raidō are just here for a short briefing regarding their completed mission."

Sakura swallows and reluctantly enters the office and quietly shuts the door close. She moves to stand to the side, near the bookshelves. The infamous elite bodyguards that serve to protect the Hokage and the Daimyō continue to give out information regarding their mission and Lord Sarutobi nods his head. After a few minutes of talking, he dismisses them and the two bow their heads. However, before leaving the office, the brown-haired ninja with a senbon between his lips turns to Sakura.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around before. Are you a new recruit? Or perhaps Lord Hokage's apprentice?" Genma asks her curiously, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The pink-haired Genin blinks in surprise.

"Yes, indeed, Genma. Miss Haruno is my apprentice." Hiruzen replies in her stead, looking up from his work. The coral-haired girl whips her head to give him a look, but he ignores her. "…Any more questions?"

The two elite bodyguards slightly stiffen up at the tone of their Hokage's voice, warning them—specifically Genma—not to pry. Genma fidgets nervously while Raidō sighs and clears his throat, "None, Lord Hokage. Forgive us for speaking up, we are just curious… that is all. We bid you good day." He says and the two Jōnin hastily exit the office. All Sakura can do is stare at the closed door, wondering what just happened. Then glancing at the clock, her eyes widen. She wasted six minutes!

She walks in front of his desk and sets the pink scroll on top of the mahogany. "Um… I don't know where to start, but… this scroll… it enables those to travel in time…"

**…**

The two elite ninjas continue on their way down a hallway inside the Hokage's building. Genma is the first to speak up to his friend/comrade, "Say… did we get any new pink-haired graduates this year?" he scratches the back of his head.

Raidō pinches the bridge of his nose at the question. "Are you seriously asking me this, Genma? If you spend your time actually doing your job and not messing around with other women in bars and such, then you would know."

Holding up his hands in defense, he bites down the senbon between his lips, "Hey! I disagree! I always do my job! Can't you see I'm one of the best around here? Besides, it's not like I sleep with every women out there." Then he winks at a kunoichi passing by and she blushes, hiding her face.

"You know what I mean…" his comrade lets out an exasperated sigh, "If I recall, she is a member of Hatake's squad, Haruno Sakura of Team 7. I heard from Umino that she is one of the top of her class and excels in utilizing her intelligence."

Genma gives out a low whistle, "She's a student of Kakashi's? Last time I checked, he didn't let anyone pass. He must be getting soft."

"…He probably have his reasons…" Raidō grunts, ending the discussion there as another Jōnin approaches the two.

"Ah, Raidō and Genma!" Ebisu approaches them, pushing up his dark sunglasses up his nose. He shiftily looks around before turning to them, "Have you two seen the honorable grandson? He skipped his lessons again and ran off somewhere."

The men share a look before shaking their heads. "Sorry, man… we didn't see that little tyke anywhere. He could be playing with his friends somewhere." Genma shrugs. Ebisu lets out a frustrated sigh and sags his shoulders in exhaustion, until a loud disturbance coming from the Hokage's office interrupts them.

"OLD MAN! I'm here to challenge you to a battle! Prepare yourself!" a child's voice screeches.

Ebisu perks up and runs down the hallway, leaving a trail of dust as the two elite bodyguards sweat drop at his actions. "HONORABLE GRANDSON, KONOHAMARU! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DISTURB LORD HOKAGE?! HE'S A VERY BUSY MAN!"

* * *

**Another chapter finished! Anyway, I'm sorry for the late updates! I've been a little busy! But, to make it up for not updating the past days, I'll put up another chapter either today or tomorrow or soon! We'll see! I plan to update at least once or twice a week so… yeah.**

**Anyway, I was planning on making this chapter longer but… I needed to do some summer reading/homework for next school year. This is what I get for taking AP classes... Ugh… Well, next chapter continues with a new enemy. So, yeah… I have nothing else to say.**

**-Sigh- **


	6. Chapter 6

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 6: Enter… Zabuza Momochi! Silent Killer of the Mist!

* * *

Team 7 and Mr. Tazuna find themselves riding a wooden speed boat, however, the engine is turned off. The rower quietly guides the boat to the mainland, the water lapping against the wooden paddle. Only the sound of rushing waves and the water hitting the paddle is heard as an eerie silence settles within the thick mist. They can only see within a two meter radius and Sakura can only discern vague shapes and outlines beyond the whiteness. She looks down at the cold rippled surface of the ocean, tempting to dip her hands into the cool waters.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon. The Wave Country is at the base of the bridge." The rower quietly says, snapping everyone's attention.

"Holy shit, it's huge!" Naruto pipes up, albeit a little too loud. He stares in awe at the half-completed bridge as they neared the mainland.

"Hey, you, be quiet! Why do you think we're using the thick mist as a cover and not using the engine? We'll be in deep shit if that bastard Gatō finds us!" the man rowing the boat with a paddle hisses at the loud ninja.

"…" Sasuke sweat drops and Sakura purses her lips in anticipation, a new enemy coming up soon.

"Oh, yeah… sorry." Naruto immediately apologizes and covers his mouth.

Tazuna lifts his head and addresses Kakashi directly, "Sensei… there's something I need to say. This mission… you're right on the assumption that this is beyond your duties. You see, a very dangerous man is after my life." He hesitates, but Kakashi urges him to continue. "You've probably heard his name before…"

"…" the elite ninja remains silent as Sasuke and Naruto wait in anticipation at the building suspense. Sakura casually watches the water lapping against the tall footholds of the bridge and the mist surrounding them.

"…His name is Gatō." Tazuna shares a terrified look with the rower before averting his gaze deep into the mist.

Kakashi furrows his brows in frustration, "Do you mean Gatō of the Gatō Company? I heard he's one of the world's few extremely wealthy people."

Tazuna nods his head and continues on, "Yeah… he runs an official shipping company, but… he secretly sells drugs and other illegal items. Also, using gang members and ninjas to take over businesses and other countries. He's a very nasty man. He set his sights in the Wave country about a year ago and he used money and violence to easily take control of the country's shipping industry. He now has a monopoly on all businesses in Wave. The only thing he fears is the completion of the bridge."

"Since you're building the bridge… you're in his way." Sakura looks up from the water and straight at him.

"So… all those ninjas were hired by Gatō?" Sasuke asks and Naruto looks at all their faces, feeling lost and confused.

"…"

Nobody utters a single word for a moment, as if debating what to say.

"Well, if you knew that those ninjas were targeting you, why did you sign up for a C-Rank mission? This is at least at a B-Rank level." Kakashi wonders.

Hesitating for a moment before confessing the truth, "…As you can see… the Land of Waves is a very poor country, even the feudal lord in charge doesn't have money. Of course, we the citizens, don't have enough money either… not enough for a B-Rank mission."

Kakashi lets out a deep sigh, fixing his ninja headgear, "We don't really have a choice, so we might as well continue our mission."

'_Hehe… I win._' The bridge builder turns his back on them and smirks victoriously. Sakura did not miss the action, but scoffs at him. _Honestly, he is good at making others pity him_.

Sakura looks ahead and sees that their boat is taking a different route to avoid detection. They go through a soggy brick canal and into the wide and open space. A small island surrounded by water and the suffocating mist along with several wooden houses and tall willowy-like trees. The boat stops in front of a rickety old dock, leading deep into the swampy area and drooping seaweed-like trees.

"Well, this is it for me. Stay safe and good luck." The rower says and disembarked into the depths of the mist as Tazuna thanked him.

"Now, time to get me home safely!" the old man blurts out and the silver-haired Jōnin drops his shoulders and sweat drops.

'_We're doomed if a Jōnin ranked ninja attacks us…_'

**…**

They continue to walk through the slowly dissipating mist and the path deep in the swampy area, surrounded by tall trees and other vegetation.

Naruto glances at the ebony-haired teammate of his, '_I'm so going to steal the spotlight!_' He pretends to look around for any signs of danger, clutching a shuriken. A slight rustle coming from a wet bush to the side and Naruto throws his shuriken at it. "There!" Everyone—except Sakura—jumps in surprise, clearly startled by Naruto's unexpected outburst.

…

…

…

"Heh, it was just nothing." Naruto coolly proclaims, swiping back his spiky hair. Sakura gives him a look that clearly says, 'Are you serious?' and Kakashi holds up his hands in defense.

"Hey, please stop throwing your shurikens around. It's very dangerous."

"God damn it, you stupid brat! Control yourself and stop acting like a god damn moron!" Tazuna bursts out, veins twitching angrily on his forehead.

Suddenly, a white and shaking figure jumps out of the bushes. Naruto gasps in surprise and runs up to hug the adorable white rabbit and Sakura stiffens at it. Their teacher narrows his eyes at the rabbit squished between Naruto's iron grip and face.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Bunny! I didn't mean to scare you!" he continues to weep and hug the gasping and convulsing bunny to his chest.

Sasuke looks at him in disgust and averts his gaze to a stiffened Sakura and raises an eyebrow.

"Kaka-sensei… t-this white rabbit… it shouldn't have a white fur during the summer seasons. It only changes color during winter." She opens her mouth, answering his lingering thoughts. _**Damn right! That means that sword-wielding creep is around here somewhere! **_

"…Yes, you are correct, Sakura…" Kakashi studies their surroundings, then he catches a rustle from behind a tree and a menacing glint.

Widening his eyes and shouting at everyone, "Everyone, get down! Now!" he ducks down.

Sakura, with lightning speed grabs Tazuna and ducks down with him and her teammates copied her actions, just in time to see a huge blur heading straight in their direction. Naruto cries out in sadness when the rabbit wiggles out of his grasp. The flying sharp object lodges itself deep into a tree trunk a few yards away.

_It's Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō! _She studies the lodged iron sword and its long length.

The owner of said weapon flickers out of nowhere and stands atop the handle of the sword. They all stand up as the infamous missing ninja from Kiri appears before them. His face covered in bandages, concealing the rest of the lower half of his face. His demonic eyes boring holes into every one of them and a hidden smirk behind those bandages. He wears a pair of greyish baggy pants and typical of Kirigakure patterned arm warmers with matching leg warmers. And without a shirt.

_**EEEEWWWWW! His terrible fashion sense…! Why isn't he wearing a shirt?! Oh Kami, I think my eyes are burning!**_

Naruto is about to charge at him, but Kakashi holds out a hand in front of him. "If it isn't the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist and missing ninja of Kirigakure, Momochi Zabuza." He glares at the Mist ninja. "Everyone, please get back. He's on a whole new level."

His three students stare up at the demonic-looking man with caution.

"It's going to be tough…" the Jōnin reaches for his ninja headgear, slowly pushing it upwards to reveal his hidden left eye. "… so might as well use this."

"Humph! You must be Kakashi of the Sharingan… the infamous Copy-Ninja from Konohagakure." The A-Rank mercenary turns his neck and looks down at him. "Sorry, but… the old man's my kill."

'_Sharing—what? The hell's that?_' Naruto looks back at his teacher and Sakura cranes her neck to stare upwards at the Mist ninja. Sasuke catches his breath, whipping his head to look at his silver-haired instructor.

'_Sharingan?! Don't tell me…_'

His hand hovering above his ninja headgear with the leaf's insignia, "Please protect Mr. Tazuna at all costs. Do not approach nor attack the enemy. That's my order." Without any hesitation, Kakashi lifts the headgear and reveals a red iris with the spinning tomoe surrounding the pupil. "Zabuza, your opponent would be me."

'_His left eye! What the hell is it?_' Naruto takes a peek at his teacher, staring at his oddly colored eye.

"Ah… this is my lucky day, having the pleasure of witnessing the Sharingan. I'm truly honored." Zabuza turns around to face them.

"Sharingan! Sharingan! What the hell is that?!" Naruto yells over the thick tension.

"The Sharingan…" Sasuke trails off, catching everyone's attention, but Kakashi and Sakura's. "…is one of the rarest eye techniques that grants the user the ability to read and able to defeat any types of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. But that's not the only ability the Sharingan has."

"Uh, what?" Naruto cocks his head to the side.

"Hehe… exactly as the brat says. That's not all… what's even more terrifying… is that you can copy your opponent's techniques once you've seen them." Zabuza interrupts, smirking to himself atop the trees.

"When I was still a member of Kiri's ANBU squad, I remember reading about you from a bingo book I kept. This is what the information said… the man who has copied over a thousand jutsu… the Copy-Ninja, Hatake Kakashi." The two elite ninjas glare at each other.

After a lapse of silence, Zabuza crouches down, gripping the hilt of his Kubikiribōchō. "Now, why don't we end all this useless talking? I have a job to kill that old man." He shifts his gaze towards a frozen and stiff Tazuna.

_Here he comes!_

"However… it seems like I have to defeat you first, Kakashi." The demonic ninja grabs the hilt of his sword and pushes off the branch, disappearing within seconds in a blur. Sakura watches his movements and turns towards the lake a few yards to her right. There, on the surface of the calming waters, a ripple and Zabuza appears standing on top of the water. Readying a hand seal and using a technique, "Ninja Technique: Hiding in the Mist." A thick white fog covers his menacing figure, shrouding their surroundings with a suffocating whiteness.

'_He's releasing a high amount of chakra!_' Kakashi watches him carefully and warily.

"H-he's gone!" Tazuna whispers, standing behind the three Genin.

"He'll target me first… Momochi Zabuza… once a member of Kirigakure, famously known as an expert in silent killing. He was a master of stealth and assassination." Kakashi explains and Naruto gulps in fear and Sasuke narrows his eyes through the mist. Sakura closes her eyes and tries to find Zabuza's chakra signature. "You won't even notice until you find yourself bathing in your own blood. I can't use the Sharingan perfectly, so everyone be careful."

Naruto gasps in shock, frantically whipping his head around, "The mist is getting thicker…!"

"Eight choices to choose from…" Zabuza's demonic voice echoes in every direction. Naruto grits his teeth in anticipation while Sasuke clenches his fists, trying to discern anything beyond the mist. "Liver, lungs, spine, bladder, jugular vein, brain, kidneys, heart."

_That's right… as a former ANBU member… he has extensive knowledge of all pressure points and vital organs of the human body! _Sakura thinks with her eyes still closed, a bead of sweat pouring down the side of her face from her concentration.

"Which one should I strike first?" he laughs.

"…" Kakashi looks around the mist, then positions his hands in a Tiger Seal.

'_Fuck… w-what an incredibly dangerous ki… his killing intent…! It feels like it's pushing me down… enough to drive a person crazy!_' beads of sweat rolls down Sasuke's face. '_This intensity… I feel suffocated! I rather die now and get it over with…_' he clenches his fists tightly, shaking like a leaf. Sakura straightens up and gives him a gentle look.

"Sasuke…" he snaps back to reality at the soothing voice. He slowly turns his head towards Sakura.

With a gentle, yet determined look on her usually bright and cheery face, "Calm down. Don't worry, Kaka-sensei will definitely protect all of us… and I will do my best as well." His pink-haired teammate takes ahold of his right hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting go. Her smile somehow comforts him and his wildly palpitating heart eases down. He stares right into her beryl eyes before Sakura turns away to look forward. He swallows and takes a deep breath, feeling the weight off his shoulders.

Kakashi, apparently, heard Sakura's encouraging words and turns his head towards them. "Sakura's right. I won't let my comrades die." He smiles at them reassuringly. Naruto and Sasuke widen their eyes and Sakura smirks.

"We'll see about that!" the silent assassin appears between Tazuna and Sasuke and Sakura. The bridge builder stares in fear at the Mist ninja in front of him, startled by his impromptu presence. Sasuke stiffens at the overpowering presence behind him, hairs prickling and standing at the back of his neck. Sakura whirls around, throwing her chakra-infused left fist directly at Zabuza's face. He explodes in a burst of water. _A water clone! _

"You really piss me off…" Sakura grits her teeth, cracking her knuckles in frustration and pent-up rage. She just wants to get this mission over with and return home! Kakashi widens his eyes, ready to body flicker and stab Zabuza in the gut with a kunai. However, Sakura once again catches them off-guard with her actions. Sensing a demonic chakra appearing behind her teacher, she body flickers, leaving a trail of pink petals in her wake. Sasuke and Naruto snap up in surprise, and seeing Zabuza behind their teacher, sword slashing vertically downwards. Sakura appears right on time, blocking the sword with her bare hands, covered in a thin layer of chakra. The sharp edge of Zabuza's sword just centimeters from the base of her neck as she catches the blade between both hands.

"S-Sakura…! What are you doing?! Get back!" Kakashi shouts, quickly turning around to see his student standing protectively in front of him. Zabuza, on the other hand, watches the pink-haired girl with interest. A small yet ominous smirk forms across his face. Putting more strength into his attack, he slowly forces the sharp edge closer to her throat.

"Heh, how interesting! Little girl able to catch my Kubikiribōchō with such ease. Who would have thought, that out of all of you, she has the balls to do so?" he smirks widely as his blade inches closer to the base of her neck. Almost there. So close. He could almost smell and taste the precious metallic liquid running through her blood vessels. Just one drop. One drop of that beautiful ruby blood. And he would be satisfied.

Sakura clenches her teeth from the sheer force. _No way…! This incredible strength… Kami, if I hadn't trained under Tsunade-shishō, I would have been cut in half like a piece of ham!_

_**Oh my Kami, Sakura! Even at this time, you still have the gall to crack stupid jokes?! Get that demon away from us! Can't you see he's looking at us like a fucking rapist?! **_

"Sakura…!" Kakashi helplessly watches her struggle with the swordsman. "Zabuza, stay away from my student!"

'_Sakura! That fucking bastard is trying to hurt her!_' Naruto glares scathingly at the smirking assassin. Sasuke watches the scene cautiously, debating whether or not to attack. Tazuna can only stand helplessly behind the two Genin, praying for their safety.

Putting more chakra into her hands, Sakura pushes back with equal force, but Zabuza raises a brow and only puts more force into his sword. His free hand twitches and reaches behind him, and that is enough for Sakura to lose focus for a moment and drops her guard. Her hands slip and the blade cuts into her skin, nicking it just below her collar-bone. Sakura quickly tightens her grip, clutching the dull sides of the sword, preventing it from digging deeper into her wound. A tiny droplet of blood drips down slowly between her breasts, staining the neckline of her black shirt underneath the red qipao top. Zabuza smirks victoriously, eyes watching the crimson liquid flow from the shallow cut.

"Sakura!" both Naruto and Sasuke shout in alarm. Kakashi jerks forward, trying to grab ahold of his coral-haired student.

_**Fuck this! Sakura, kick him in the nuts! NOBODY! Nobody but Itachi Uchiha can look at us like that!**_

_Inner, please not now! We have to focus!_

With a sudden jerk, Zabuza pulls his sword away from her tight grip with ease. Sakura lets out a breath she has been holding and stumbles backward, but catches herself. "Let's see if you can dodge this, little girl!" he swings his blade in a horizontal motion this time. Kakashi, with lightning speed, grabs Sakura and carries her bridal style, ready to jump out-of-the-way. However, Sakura wraps her arms around her teacher's neck and body flickers. The sharp blade cuts through the scattered petals instead.

They reappear in front of their team and Sakura dislodges herself from her teacher's hold, breathing heavily and with a wildly beating heart. _That was too close! I thought we were going to watch our body disemboweled in half! Intestines and my organs flying everywhere! Blood spurting out! _

_**Sakura, shut up! Just be grateful that Kaka-sensei was there to save us! Jeez… my heart stopped for a second! If this keeps up, we'll both die of heart attack before the Chūnin exams even start!**_

"Huh? Body flicker technique, eh? You're just a mere Genin, but already capable of such techniques?" the swordsman muses to himself, hauling the heavy sword on his shoulder. "But you won't be able to escape this time!" he charges at them with a bloodthirsty stare in his crazed eyes. Sakura stands her ground while her two teammates hold up a kunai in front of them.

Only for Kakashi to reappear behind him, a kunai poised above his jugular vein. "I wouldn't move if I were you." he glares dangerously at the criminal.

Zabuza instantly halts in his tracks, watching the cowering bridge builder and the three Genin standing protectively in front of their client.

"It's over." The Copy-Ninja states, holding the deadly weapon to his opponent's throat.

"Heheheh… It's over? You don't get it, do you? There's no way your monkey-like moves could defeat me!"

"…"

"You, little girl." He juts his chin towards Sakura, "Impressive moves you got there." Then turning slightly to the man behind him, "Same with you, Kakashi. You're no ordinary ninja."

"But… I'm not that easy." The Zabuza in front of Kakashi bursts into water and the real one reappears behind him.

"W-what?! Another water clone?! Now, he's behind Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto shouts in surprise.

Zabuza swings his sword horizontally at the silver-haired man in front of him, but Kakashi ducks down from the attack. Using the spinning momentum of his sword, Zabuza jumps and aims a kick to his opponent's chest. At that moment, a whimsical and spontaneous idea flashes through Sakura's mind. _I've got nothing to lose! _

She body flickers and pushes her teacher out of the way, sending him tumbling to the side. Sakura immediately guards and blocks the kick aimed at her ribs, flinching slightly at the force behind Zabuza's kick. She is sent flying meters away and towards the lake's surface.

"Humph, what a risky little brat. Saving her comrades without a second thought."

"Sakura! What are you doing?!" Kakashi yells, almost just had enough of her tricks. Naruto gasps in shock and Sasuke stands frozen at what just happened.

"D-did she just…" Tazuna drops his jaw at her stupidity/bravery.

"How foolish! Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza forms the seal and appears behind Sakura's soaking form just as she breaks out of the surface. Encasing her in a transparent and spherical aqueous prison, limiting her movements.

"Shit…! At this rate, he'll…" Kakashi readies a jutsu.

_**SAKURA! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU'VE FUCKED UP!**_

_Er… sorry, inner… it's just that... Well, it just came up, you know? Hahah… _

_**Sorry my ass?! SAKURA, YOU DUN GOOFED! Again! Now he's going to kill us and… ugh… I don't even want to think about it… **_

"How foolish, little brat. Now you're trapped inside my inescapable water prison. Won't be that easy to break free. Want to try?" he taunts her, but Sakura did not take the bait and instead lets out a tired sigh. Now all she can do is watch her teammates and teacher fight in her stead. _It's better if Kaka-sensei is out there fighting. Plus, Naruto and Sasuke needs to learn to work together in this fight._

She waves off the worry from all of their faces, giving them a determined nod. "I'll be fine, you guys! Just keep on fighting and he'll eventually let go of me if one of you manages to land a hit on the real one!"

"B-but Sakura! What about you?!" Naruto screams at her.

"Naruto, just shut up and fight, okay? Now go team up with Sasuke and beat the crap out of Zabuza!" she yells through the spherical aqua prison, sitting down cross-legged. Naruto opens his mouth and Sasuke is about to protest, but she shuts them with a persistent glare.

"Humph! Once I'm done with those brats and Kakashi, you won't be saying that anymore, kunoichi." Then noticing her relaxed and comfortable position, he raises a brow, "...Why are you so calm?"

She looks up at him with a complacent expression on her features, "What? I'm just taking a breather and watch my boys kick your ass. That's all." She replies rather bluntly, making the dangerous mercenary ninja sweat drop inwardly. '_Just… who is she? Couldn't be older than Haku…_'

Then turning to her teammates and the bridge builder, Zabuza performs a jutsu and another water clone emerges from the lake's surface and stalks towards her team and Tazuna. The water clone speaks up, "Hah, wearing forehead protectors and running around pretending to be ninjas… don't make me laugh!" he addresses Naruto and Sasuke as a devilish smirk crosses his features, "You know what? A real ninja is someone who survived through numerous bloodshed and near-death experiences." Naruto shudders in fear, never taking his eyes off from the Mist ninja.

"What I'm trying to say is… once you're good enough to be written in my bingo book, then you can start calling yourself a ninja. You guys aren't even real ninjas according to my standards." With that, the water clone performs a seal and disappears.

The blonde stares at the empty spot in horror, only for a strong kick to send him flying several yards back, his ninja headgear falling to the ground. The water clone drops to the ground and steps firmly on his headgear. "Just a tiny brat." The real Zabuza guarding his water prison states.

"Naruto…! Zabuza, you…" Kakashi charges at the real one, but the water clone stops him, pointing the sword at his throat.

'_Ouch!_' Naruto winces in pain at his bandaged hand as he shakily sits up. '_Didn't I… swore? That I'll never be saved again and that I'll never lose to Sasuke?! That's right… ever since I became a ninja, I decided I won't run away anymore!_' He pushes himself away from the ground, shakily standing up and glaring down Zabuza. '_I won't run!_'

He runs towards the water clone, intent on taking back what is rightfully his. The clone scoffs at him and gives him another kick, sending Naruto flying back. Sasuke opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it close. Watching Naruto fly back in front of him, slowly reaching out a helping hand. Naruto did not take his hand and slowly pushes himself to his feet with blood dripping down his chin.

"Hey… you freak with no eyebrows…" he gasps, addressing the pissed off Zabuza. "Put this in your bingo book… the man who'll become Hokage one day…" Naruto takes his headgear and puts it on around his forehead, tying it back with a flourish. "Konohagakure's Uzumaki Naruto!"

Kakashi stares at his student with a mixture of pride and worry and Tazuna with mild surprise. '_He's not so useless after all…_'

"Hey, Sasuke! I have a plan." He turns to look at his raven-haired teammate.

Sasuke cranes his neck to look at the blonde idiot, "What? Teamwork with you?"

"Let's get wild! And kick this eyebrow-less freak's ass!" Naruto turns and grins at Sasuke and he, in turn, smirks back.

Sakura beams, a toothy grin on her face as she watches her boys work together. _That's right! Kick his ass for me! _

Naruto wipes the blood trickling down his chin, facing one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, "We're going to kick your ass, believe it!"

"That's some guts and arrogance you got there, kid. But do you stand a chance against me?" Zabuza clone mocks.

"Naruto, what are you doing?! Zabuza is a dangerous enemy, you won't stand a chance!" Kakashi tries to convince his students, however, the water clone shuts him up with a threat.

"I'll slit your throat if you don't shut your mouth, Kakashi. Your little brats won't even land a scratch on me. They're a million years too early." The clone smirks, shoving the sword near the masked ninja's throat. Kakashi glares at the water clone, but made no movements as he continues to watch Naruto and Sasuke glaring down at another water clone.

Naruto whips his head to look at Tazuna, "Hey, old man…"

Looking down on the ground, "…Well, I planted this seed myself…" Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi looks at him with something akin to pity, but did not reply. "I'm not going to stop you guys no matter how much I want to live. I'm sorry you guys… so… go ahead, and fight as much as you want." The bridge builder raises his head and gives them all an encouraging smile.

Sasuke turns his head to look back at their opponent, a smirk gracing his features. "You hear that, dead-last?"

Naruto grins and turns to face the water clone, "You ready, bastard?"

"…Hah… haha…" The Zabuza they are facing chuckles to himself, shoulders shaking from mirth, "Hahahah…" Then he slowly raises his head to glare at them, "You brats never do grow up, do you?"

Naruto clenches his fists, offended, "What did you say?!"

"Going to keep playing 'ninja,' huh?" he replies, surprising Naruto and the others. Sakura continues to watch the scene carefully, watching the real Zabuza keeping her prisoner in the corner of her eye. The water clone raises a twitching hand, "Ya know… when I… when I was about your age. These hands were already stained red with blood." He gives them a dark and demonic stare. Naruto and the others shiver at the disturbing and bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

Sakura, sitting inside his aqueous prison turns to the real Zabuza beside her, "The Demon… Zabuza."

He drops his shoulders and stares down at her, "So you've heard about it, huh?"

Sakura returns his stare, never backing down. "Not really… I just know that back in the old days in the Hidden Mist Village, no… the Bloody Mist, they have a certain way of becoming ninjas."

Zabuza regards her with a somewhat look of respect and acknowledgement, but shifts his attention towards her team members. "You know a little about our graduation exam? I'm a little impressed, kunoichi."

"W-what exam?" Naruto gulps.

"Hehehe…" the swordsman chuckles darkly, shoulders shaking with mirth and amusement.

"What's this graduation exam thing?!" Naruto asks.

"Heheh…" Zabuza continues to wallow in his wonderful childhood memories, then gives them a stare full of blood lust. "A bloody battle royale among students."

"…" Kakashi looks down, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"W-what…?" Naruto stares at him in horror, sweat rolling down the sides of his face.

Zabuza continues, ignoring their shocked reactions, looking up at the sky with a somewhat wistful expression. "Friends who have trained and eaten at the same table were pitted against each other in a fight to the death… until one of them dies. These are friends who helped each other and shared their dreams…"

_**That's just terrible! **_

This time, Kakashi speaks up, addressing the water clone pointing his sword at his throat. "Ten years ago… the graduation exam was forced to change. This change became official after the previous year… when a Demon appeared."

"Change? D-demon? What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asks.

Kakashi looks down, squinting his eyes shut, "…Without any hesitation, a young boy who wasn't even a ninja… killed over a hundred students single-handedly."

Then Zabuza clone gives Naruto and Sasuke a sadistic smirk filled with mirth and malice, "Ah… those were the fun times…"

The two Genins shudder in fear, unable to look away nor move their paralyzed forms. Suddenly, without any warning, the clone flashes forward, elbowing Sasuke on the face. Naruto yells out his name in alarm. Sakura purses her lips as she continues to watch their struggle. Then bringing up his arm, he slams Sasuke down on the ground as he coughs up blood, the scarlet liquid trickling down his chin.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouts and Kakashi shakes in anger, glaring heatedly at the water clone.

"Fucking brats. Just die already." The clone steps on Sasuke's stomach. '_Damn you!_' Naruto quickly performs his trademark jutsu as multiple clones of himself poofs into existence, each armed with a kunai. "Shadow clone jutsu, eh? And with a large amount." Zabuza looks at the clones surrounding him.

With Naruto's plan in action, all the clones charge at Zabuza clone, dog piling him. However, the swordsman manages to escape easily, swinging his Kubikiribōchō around. Slashing wildly as all the clones disappear in puffs of smoke, but Naruto manages to escape, clutching his bag pack in front of him. Then he throws a large shuriken at Sasuke, and the raven-haired boy catches it. Opening the blades to form a larger shuriken, he stares down Zabuza clone. Naruto smirks at his genius plan as Sakura continues to watch them from inside the water prison.

"Demon Wind Shuriken! Shadow Windmill!" then Sasuke jumps into the air, throwing back his arm and throws the shuriken at the laughing water clone.

"A shuriken? It won't work on me." He continues to laugh, as the shuriken nears its target… only for the deadly flying projectile to whip past him. "What?!"

The real Zabuza standing on the lake's surface narrows his eyes, watching the flying projectile heading straight at him. At this, Sakura perks up, knowing the outcome of the following events. "Humph, I see you're aiming at me, but…" catching the shuriken with one hand while the other guards his water prison, "…I won't fall for such tricks!"

"What?!" another shuriken follows, aiming for his legs. "Another one in the shuriken's shadow?!"

Sakura smirks to herself and watches the real Zabuza dodge the shuriken with a single jump. "Still not enough, you stupid brats." He smirks behind the bandages covering his face.

_You won't be saying that!_

The shuriken flies passed him, a few feet behind. Suddenly, the projectile transforms into Naruto, surprising the swordsman as well as everyone but Sakura. "Take this!" the blonde holds up a kunai, ready to throw it. "Let go of Sakura, you eyebrow-less bastard!" he throws the kunai straight at the mildly surprised assassin. As the kunai nears its intended target, Zabuza widens his eyes and quickly slides to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp tip. Fortunately for everyone but him, he lets go of his water prison, freeing Sakura. Instead, the kunai only manages to cut his cheek, blood trickles down his face.

He whips around and glares at Naruto angrily, a vein pops on his forehead as he prepares to throw the shuriken back at Naruto. "You fucking brat!"

'_Oh shit!_' Naruto watches in terror, unable to dodge mid-air as he slowly falls to the water. Only for their silver-haired instructor to block the sharp blade with the back of his palm. Zabuza stops in shock as he stares into the furious Sharingan of Kakashi, with his other hand wrapped around a soaking wet Sakura. Her bubblegum hair free from its up-do and touching the surface of the water. The coral-haired Genin gasps in surprise, leaning tiredly against her teacher.

_**KYAAAAA! Kaka-sensei to the rescue! Must savor this moment! **_

Naruto breaks out of the surface, coughing and gagging in relief. '_Sakura is safe!_' he grins upon seeing Kakashi-sensei with his arm wrapped around her smaller form.

Still blocking the shuriken with a bleeding palm and glaring furiously at the swordsman, "Great plan, Naruto… you guys have grown."

Naruto grins at his teacher's praise. "Hell yeah! The plan wasn't to beat Zabuza with the shadow clone, but to hide the fact that I transformed into the Demon Wind Shuriken. Of course, I know me and Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance against him."

Zabuza scoffs, "Hah, I just got distracted and had to release my water prison…"

This time, Kakashi scoffs and glares at him, "Wrong. You didn't release it. You were _forced_ to release it." the silver-haired ninja tightens his hold around Sakura. An angry vein twitches at Zabuza's temple, turning his head to look at the masked ninja. "I will tell you that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice. What will you do?" Kakashi mocks. Zabuza immediately jumps back several feet away, readying a jutsu. Kakashi lets go of Sakura and turns to her, "Sakura, stay with Tazuna and the others. I will deal with him from here on out." The tone of his voice leaves no room for argument and she nods her head before body flickering next to a startled Sasuke.

Kakashi turns to face his opponent, performing the exact hand seals for a water-type jutsu. At the same time, "Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Two gigantic torrents of water in a shape of a majestic dragon, rise from the lake. The two aquatic dragons crash into each other, sending blasts of water spraying everywhere.

"Holy shit!" Naruto screams as a tidal wave washes him onto land and Sakura runs to pull him out of the deadly waters. He shakily grabs her hands and she pulls him to his feet as they all watch an epic water battle between two powerful ninjas.

An arc of water falls over the two ninjas, parrying each other's attack with their own weapons. A mighty sword against a kunai. The water dragons slowly return to its indefinite liquid form, dying down with a mighty roar of the restless ocean.

'_What the hell is going on?_' Zabuza stares down the ninja in front of him as they both jump back at the same time. '_It's like…_' Performing a hand seal once again, Zabuza bites his tongue when Kakashi copied his exact movements. Sweat and water rolls down his face as he cautiously watches the man several feet away. '_My movements…! It's like he's…_'

"…copying them?" Kakashi finishes his thoughts, snapping him back to reality.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance upon his opponent copying all his movements perfectly, '_What the—did he read my mind?! Damn it! That…_'

"…bastard is pissing me off! Right?"

"Hah! All you're doing is copying me like a god damn monkey!"

"You can't beat me, you monkey bastard!" they both chorus at the same time, which only results in pissing off the already pissed off swordsman.

"Damn you! I'll make it… so you won't be able to open that filthy mouth again!" a vein twitches on Zabuza's left temple as he finishes the rest of the hand seals for another jutsu. Then he freezes mid-action, staring at what seems like a shadow of himself standing over Kakashi. '_T-that's me…? It can't be!_'

"Water Release: Giant Vortex Jutsu." The three tomoe spins around Kakashi's pupil, activating the Sharingan.

'_Impossible!_' Zabuza's eyes widen. Without any warning or whatsoever, a gigantic whirling blast of water propels towards the frozen swordsman. '_I'm the one performing the jutsu, yet I can't even keep up!_' He gasps as the great water attack slams into him, sending the ninja flying and crashing against a tree. The tremendous torrent spills over the lake, sending titanic waves off shore, nearly drowning everything within its vicinity. "Ugh!" he flinches in pain as kunais pin his biceps and thighs to the tree.

As the water calms down and returns to the lake, Kakashi stands atop the tree Zabuza crashes into. Small trickles of blood mixed with water trails down his body from the kunais' wound. "It's over." The Copy-Ninja glares down at him from above.

"H-how… can you see into the future…?"

Holding up a single kunai, "That's right. You're dead."

And…

A couple of senbon needles fly out of nowhere and pierces Zabuza's neck and blood gushes out from the punctures. Everyone but Sakura perks up in shock, staring at the falling and unmoving body of their enemy. Sakura slowly lifts her head and focuses her beryl orbs towards a lone figure of a masked person standing atop a thick branch. "Hee-hee… you're right. He's dead." The masked person chimes. They all turn to look at the long-haired masked ninja.

Kakashi vanishes atop the tree and reappears next to a fallen and unmoving Zabuza, bloodshot eyes still open wide in shock. He checks the pulse point on Zabuza's neck and upon finding none, slowly retracts his fingers. '_…There's… no pulse…_' Then he cranes his neck upwards to look at the masked ninja.

The masked ninja bows his/her head gratefully, "Thank you very much. I have been searching for the wonderful opportune moment to kill Momochi Zabuza for a long time."

Kakashi finally acknowledges him, "That mask… you must be a member of Kirigakure's Corpse Processing Team."

"…Yes, indeed. I am a hunter-nin." The ninja softly replies.

"A hunter-nin?" Naruto blurts out.

"Correct, my duty is to hunt down and kill missing ninjas who have betrayed and abandoned their villages. I am a member of Kirigakure's Corpse Processing Team." He/she explains. Naruto runs towards Zabuza's supposedly dead body then continues to look back and forth between the hunter-nin and Zabuza's body.

"What the flying fuck?! Who the hell are you?!" he screams and points an accusing finger at the mysterious person.

"Naruto, he's not the enemy." Kakashi sighs and places Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō on his chest, then pushes off his knees to stand up.

"I'm not asking about that, sensei! T-that… Zabuza guy got killed! A guy that's so scary and strong…! Got done in by a kid! Someone that looks about my age! That's so stupid! I don't get it!" he yells in frustration and stomps his foot on the ground.

Kakashi walks towards the blonde, "Well, I know how you feel, but…" he raises a hand and pats Naruto on the head, "…this is also the truth. In this world, there are numerous others out there that are younger than you… but stronger than me." With that, he ruffles Naruto's head playfully as the blonde looks away in embarrassment while Sasuke chooses not to comment. Sakura glances at him from the corner of her eye before looking back at the masked ninja.

The hunter-nin vanishes from his/her place atop the branch and reappears squatting next to Zabuza's dead body. "I must thank you all once again for defeating Zabuza for me. Now, I must dispose of this body filled with so many secrets. Farewell." He/she easily slings an arm around Zabuza's body, and with a brief goodbye, disappears in a whirl of leaves.

"What?! They disappeared!" Naruto yelps in surprise.

"Ha… well, it's about time we head to Mr. Tazuna's place. We can't linger around here any longer." Kakashi slides back his headgear, concealing his left eye underneath.

"Well, you guys are welcome to stay and relax at my home for a while!" the bridge builder boasts, fixing his pointed straw hat. Sakura lets out a sigh mixed with exhaustion and relief before dropping to her knees.

_Hah… that was way too close! My stamina can't keep up…_

_**Well, you know what that means, right? MORE TRAINING, LESS MESSING AROUND! Once we get back, we're going to ask Lord Hiruzen to teach us some super awesome killer moves! **_

"Yes, that would be nice, however…" Kakashi smiles at the elder man, then stalks towards his only female student and bends down to meet her gaze.

"?" Sakura stares back in confusion at his happy and cheerful façade. _Why is he smiling like that…?_

Without any warning, he grasps the collar of her red qipao top and firmly yanks it down, revealing her black top underneath. Sakura widens her jade eyes, startled, as well as everyone present.

_**OH SNAP! HOT SENSEI PULLING DOWN OUR TOP! KYAAA! **_

_Inner, shut up._

"WHAT THE HELL?!" both Naruto and Sasuke scream at the same time while Tazuna pulls out another bottle of saké and chugs it down, watching with interest.

"So… mind explaining what is this?" he smiles brightly at her, gesturing at the shallow cut below her collar-bone and the already dried trail of blood stemming from the wound and trailing down between the small valley of her breasts.

"Uh… um…" she opens her mouth, but shuts it close. "Well… you see…" she gives him a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. However, Kakashi did not let his grip falter and drops his smile, regarding her with a serious expression on his face.

"Sakura… what you did was not only stupid, but extremely dangerous. Next time, please don't do anything rash." He scolds her lightly and she bows her head in shame. Then he lets go of the collar of her qipao top and lifts his hand to gently ruffle her head. He gives her a small, yet understanding smile, "I know you want to protect your comrades, but do so without endangering your life. After all, you're just my cute little student." He smiles that cryptic eye-crinkling smile at her.

"That's gross, you perverted old man! Don't touch and talk to Sakura like that!" Naruto yells, pointing a finger at his teacher. Sasuke scoffs scornfully at his instructor, silently agreeing with Naruto. Kakashi and Sakura sweat drop at their antics.

_Ugh… I just want to go home and get this mission over with… _

_**Well, that was interesting! **_

"Well… that's that." Kakashi slowly stands up and Sakura follows his lead.

"Kaka-sensei, don't push yourself." The coral-haired kunoichi opens her arms. At that exact moment, the silver-haired man collapses and passes out into her already open arms reaching towards him.

* * *

**Omake: (What if this actually happened?)**

"You really piss me off…" Sakura grits her teeth, cracking her knuckles in frustration and pent-up rage. She just wants to get this mission over with and return home! Kakashi widens his eyes, ready to body flicker and stab Zabuza in the gut with a kunai. However, Sakura once again catches them off-guard with her actions. Sensing a demonic chakra appearing behind her teacher, she body flickers, leaving a trail of pink petals in her wake. Sasuke and Naruto snap up in surprise, and seeing Zabuza behind their teacher, sword slashing vertically downwards. Sakura appears right on time, blocking the sword with her bare hands, covered in a thin layer of chakra. The sharp edge of Zabuza's sword just centimeters from the base of her neck as she catches the blade between both hands.

"S-Sakura…! What are you doing?! Get back!" Kakashi shouts, quickly turning around to see his student standing protectively in front of him. Zabuza, on the other hand, watches the pink-haired girl with interest. A small yet ominous smirk forms across his face. Putting more strength into his attack, he slowly forces the sharp edge closer to her throat.

"Heh, how interesting! Little girl able to catch my Kubikiribōchō with such ease. Who would have thought, that out of all of you, she has the balls to do so?" he smirks widely as his blade inches closer to the base of her neck. Almost there. So close. He could almost smell and taste the precious metallic liquid running through her blood vessels. Just one drop. One drop of that beautiful ruby blood. And he would be satisfied.

Sakura clenches her teeth from the sheer force. _No way…! This incredible strength… Kami, if I hadn't trained under Tsunade-shishō, I would have been cut in half like a piece of ham!_

_**Oh my Kami, Sakura! Even at this time, you still have the gall to crack stupid jokes?! Get that demon away from us! Can't you see he's looking at us like a fucking rapist?! **_

"Sakura…!" Kakashi helplessly watches her struggle with the swordsman. "Zabuza, stay away from my student!"

'_Sakura! That fucking bastard is trying to hurt her!_' Naruto glares scathingly at the smirking assassin. Sasuke watches the scene cautiously, debating whether or not to attack. Tazuna can only stand helplessly behind the two Genin, praying for their safety.

Putting more chakra into her hands, Sakura pushes back with equal force, but Zabuza raises a brow and only puts more force into his sword. His free hand twitches and reaches behind him, ready to pull a deadly and sharp weapon. Sakura watches his hand reaching for something behind his back, eyeing it warily. Zabuza slowly grasps an object and quickly pulls out… _Icha Icha Paradise_!

_**WHAT?! WHY DOES HE—WHAT?! DON'T TELL ME HE READS THAT SHIT!**_

Unfortunately, Sakura is caught off guard upon seeing the familiar orange cover and the name of a certain Sannin printed on the front. She loses control and the blade slips from her grasp. Moving back slightly to avoid the sharp edge, but it was still enough to cut the neckline of her red qipao top.

_**SHIIIIIITTTT! SAKURA, MOVE BACK!**_

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPP.

The sound of tearing fabric snaps everyone's attention towards the kunoichi. Apparently, Zabuza's sword manages to tear open not only her qipao top, but also the black shirt she is wearing underneath. Inner-Sakura bursts into tears of shame and embarrassment and covers her face with her hands. Sakura can only widen her jade orbs as she watches her clothes rip open to reveal her pink bra underneath.

…

…

…

"P-pink…?" Sasuke is the first to break the silence. Naruto and Kakashi whip their heads to stare in horror at the usually silent Uchiha. Tazuna leans against a tree off to the side, drinking and chugging down a bottle of saké while watching them in amusement.

Zabuza chuckles loudly, flipping a page as he leans against his Kubikiribōchō, elbow on the hilt of the sword. He did not bother to look up from his reading to see all the male members of Team 7's reaction. Kakashi eyes him with envy, itching to slip his hands inside his pouch and pull out his very own copy of _Icha Icha Paradise. _

Sakura looks down at her ruined top, slightly shaking in anger. This… this embarrassment! Especially in front of her boys and sensei! Oh, someone will pay. Definitely. Her jade eyes flashing dangerously, lifting her chin to stare down the nonchalant Zabuza as he continues to read.

"Uh… S-Sakura…?" Naruto pipes up, reaching out for her.

Then she vanishes in a tornado of cherry blossoms, the pink petals scattering furiously. Catching everyone's attention, including Zabuza. Reappearing several meters above, she rears back her chakra-infused right fist, ready to pummel and obliterate everything within a three-mile radius. Naruto, however, stares at her in a mixture of terror and fear as he suddenly gains a vision of the future. An older Sakura punching and obliterating the ground with a single enhanced punch. He also manages to catch a glimpse of a smirking Tsunade and a terrified Jiraiya in the background.

"SHAANNAARROO!" she yells and punches the ground with perfect timing upon contact with her monstrous strength. The ground shatters and cracks open upon the tremendous force of chakra flaring through her fist. Trees within a three-mile radius uprooted from their spots as broken bits of rock and dust are sent flying two meters into the air. Once the violent rumbling and sounds of crashing trees stopped, Team 7 and Tazuna and Zabuza are nowhere to be found. Sakura leans forward, putting her hands on her knees as she pants in exhaustion.

_**OH MY KAMI! THEY SAW OUR UNDERWEAR! I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT NARUTO, SASUKE, AND KAKA-SENSEI THE SAME EVER AGAIN! **_

"WE'RE SO SORRY, SAAAAAKURAAAAA-CHAAAAAAAAN!" Naruto's irritating screech can be heard somewhere, but Sakura turns her back and heads off into the opposite direction. She can just tell the Hokage and make up an excuse as to why she did not fulfill her mission along with her missing team. A shadowed figure watches her from behind a fallen tree, sweat dropping as the person assesses the damage the pink-haired girl had done. '_Oh my… she sent Zabuza and the others flying hundreds of meters into the air… what fearsome power… I would not test her temper._'

* * *

**-SIGH- Finally, I finished another chapter. Ugh… my brain feels like it's going to explode and my eyes would bleed and burst out of my eye sockets… have to take a break. **

**Well, the omake was very random and it just popped into my mind. Don't take it too seriously and literally. It did not happen. Anyway, I'm so glad I'm done with their first encounter/fight with Zabuza. I swear, fight scenes are so difficult! Can someone give me tips for writing better fight scenes? Just kidding. Those who can pull it off are like, legendary, like, seriously. **

**Anyway, can anyone count how many times, since the first chapter, Sakura uses the body flicker technique? I just realized that she's been using them multiple times. By the way, has anyone seen the latest chapter of Naruto, chapter 682? Gosh, that really caught me off guard! I don't know what Kishi is on, but that was really… surprising. What he pulled, I don't know if he was trolling or not or just putting more comedic aspects during a badass fight. But yeah… until next time, I guess… **


	7. Chapter 7

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 7: Mysterious Confrontations and Tree Climbing!

* * *

"…Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Hehe… he won't know!" the blonde giggles, inching closer to his teacher's sleeping face. His hand twitching eagerly to pull down that mysterious cloth mask his instructor always wears. However, unaware that the silver-haired man is now half-awake and stirring in his slumber.

Sasuke watches his teammate inching closer towards the man's covered face, trying to take a peek. '_What an idiot… he'll get caught_.' He shifts comfortably on his spot next to Sakura on the tatami floor and rolls his eyes at the blonde idiot's behavior.

Sakura, on the other hand, is very interested and curious about what her mysterious Jōnin instructor looks like without the mask. She hides a malicious smirk behind a hand, chortling evilly with inner-Sakura to herself. _You know… all these years… I have never once seen Kaka-sensei's face. _

_**I know right?! Maybe we should try pulling down that mask once in a while! Who knows what he could be hiding underneath?! An ugly buck teeth? Humongous fish lips? A mutilated jaw? So many possibilities! **_

_Who knows? He never takes that stupid mask off. _Sakura lowers her hand and schools her features into a nonchalant expression when Sasuke shoots her a strange look.

Their beloved chicken ass-haired teammate turns to her with a raised brow, "…You actually find that idiot's behavior amusing?"

Sakura scoffs at him and brushes back her long bangs, frowning momentarily at how fast they grew. "Well, aren't you curious about what Kaka-sensei looks like without the mask? I mean, he never takes it off!"

Sasuke blinks at her then turns his head to watch Naruto inching even closer, his fingers nearly brushing against the black fabric. "…As if that would be easy. That moron will probably get his ass handed to him before that happens." He frowns upon seeing Kakashi's figure twitching ever so slightly.

Putting a finger to her chin and nodding her head, "Perhaps you're right. Looks like our beloved sensei is waking up." Sakura smiles evilly.

Sasuke narrows his eyes, "Humph. That idiot is so dumb… should we tell him?" he turns to look at her. Sakura slowly turns her head to stare back at him, a tiny smile across her face.

"Nope. This is way more entertaining." She smirks and he blinks stupidly at her, shaking his head.

'_She is definitely not the Sakura I used to know…_' he sighs, but shuts his mouth as he continues to watch the scene unfold.

"Heheheh… This's the perfect time!" Naruto chortles quietly, his fingers centimeters from pulling down that black felt. "Huehuehue…"

Naruto could hardly contain his bubbling excitement upon revealing his teacher's face. His fingers lightly brush against the cloth when Kakashi opens his uncovered eye in alarm, scaring Naruto to death. "AHHHHH! He's awake!" he shrieks and falls back on his behind against the tatami floor, frantically crawling away from the silver-haired man. Sasuke's right eye twitches in annoyance and Sakura chuckles to herself.

Kakashi slowly sits up, the futon's blanket falls to his waist as he adjusts his ninja headgear. "Ugh… I just had a bad feeling about this…" he murmurs to himself, rubbing his temples in exhaustion.

The sliding doors open to reveal a young woman with long bluish black hair, a somewhat confused and alarmed expression on her face. Then Tazuna walks up from behind her, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "What happened? What was that scream?" she puts her hands to her waist, looking around the room. Then she shifts her gaze towards the awake silver-haired man and casually steps inside the room with Tazuna following from behind as he shuts the wooden doors close. "Are you feeling alright now, sensei?"

Sakura perks up and smiles at the young woman. "Ah…! Miss Tsunami! Don't worry about that scream from earlier… Naruto was just up to one of his crazy shenanigans, that's all." She replies sheepishly.

Kakashi raises his head and nods at her, "I'm alright… just tired and… I wouldn't be able to move freely for a week it seems…" he muses.

Sakura puffs her cheeks out and gives him a look, "Well, you did use the Sharingan and that puts a strain in your body."

Tazuna speaks up and wipes his face with a towel, grinning at them. "Haha! Well, at least you guys did a great job back there! Getting rid of that dangerous ninja. We should be safe!"

However, Kakashi looks perturbed and narrows his eye when Naruto speaks up. "Hey, who's that masked person that killed Zabuza?"

"As I said earlier, he's a member of Kiri's Corpse Processing Team, judging by the mask he wears. They are known as 'body erasers,' their job is to completely dispose of a missing ninja's body without a trace." Kakashi explains tiredly. "After all… a ninja's body contains many secrets and can reveal important information. In order to protect precious information from falling into an enemy's hand, they have to kill and dispose of such ninjas. They are specialists who guard the secrets of their village."

Naruto shudders as he thinks of Zabuza's chopped up body parts. "T-that's scary…!" he slowly inches towards his pink-haired crush.

"Hmm…" Kakashi lowers his gaze, as if deep in thought and Sakura opens her mouth.

"Well… if I recall correctly, hunter-nins usually dispose of the body right on the spot. It's possible…" she trails off, studying everyone's reactions.

"Huh? Waddya mean, Sakura?" Naruto tilts his head to the side.

"Sakura is right. In this case… and with the weapons he used…" Kakashi murmurs, recalling the senbon needles.

"Senbon needles, right?" Sakura hums and casually reaches for her hair as Sasuke's eyes widen in realization.

"That's right…! Those needles…" he gulps, giving his teacher an apprehensive glance.

"What? What? What're you guys talking about?" Naruto scratches the back of his head in confusion, not understanding the tense atmosphere.

Sakura carefully touches her bun and daintily pulls out a six-inch long needle, holding it out for everyone to see. "Most likely… Zabuza is still alive."

A long moment of silence past until Tazuna clears his throat, "W-what do you mean he's still alive? Didn't he die? Sensei checked his pulse, right?"

"What the hell?! Wasn't he dead?!" Naruto shrieks and Sasuke continues to stare at his teacher in apprehension while Sakura nonchalantly studies the needle between her fingers.

"That's because the person was an expert in targeting pressure points." The coral-haired kunoichi points out and everyone urges her to continue her explanation. "Sheesh… well, he probably put Zabuza in a state of momentary death. These needles are weapons that can be used to kill only if it manages to hit a vital organ… but, certain pressure points in the body can result in a temporary death-like state. After all, these needles are used for acupuncture. Hunter-nins are experts in having extensive knowledge of the human body and that masked person probably is an expert in putting people in a temporary death-like state using senbon needles."

"Yes… it is a possibility that Zabuza is still alive. The reason that masked ninja carried away his body… is not to kill him, but to save him." Kakashi adds.

"I see… so that Zabuza guy's still out there somewhere?" Tazuna crosses his arms in frustration and nervousness. Naruto and Sasuke smirk at each other, itching for a round two with the Demon of the Mist. Sakura snorts as she inserts the needle back into her bun, rolling her eyes at their behavior.

"Possibly. It's better that we prepare for the worse, just in case." Kakashi nods and slightly perks up at Sasuke and Naruto's behavior. '_Huh… those two are actually happy that Zabuza is still alive…_'

"Besides… whether Zabuza is dead or not… we still have Gatō and his henchmen to deal with." Their teacher sighs. "…So, starting tomorrow early in the morning, we'll start a new training exercise."

"Training? What kind of training, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto jumps at the opportunity.

"Well, it's just training to prepare you three for what's to come. Besides, you guys were capable enough to save one of your teammates…" he glances at Sakura briefly, "You all have grown well. Especially you, Naruto. And Sakura." Kakashi smiles at his blonde student then gives the female member a gentle pat on the head. Naruto grins and rubs the back of his neck bashfully.

"Anyway, I won't be able to move much for a while, so we'll train until I get better."

"Wait, if Zabuza's still alive… wouldn't he be able to attack us anytime?" Naruto asks.

"Good question, but when a person is put in a momentary death-like state, it should take a while for them to move their bodies freely. About a week at most." Kakashi answers.

"Hell yeah! So we can train until that happens, right?" Naruto grins and clenches his fists in excitement and anticipation.

"That's just stupid." A child's voice pipes up from the open doors. They all turn to look at the kill joy.

_**Well, look who's here. It's that annoying little runt!**_

"Who the hell are you?!" Naruto shouts, pointing his index finger at the little boy wearing a dark beige fisherman's hat and dark green overalls and a white shirt underneath. The little boy did not answer and removes his dirty sandals before entering the room.

"Inari! Where'd you been?" Tazuna greets his grandchild.

"Hey, grandpa…" the boy clambers up to the elderly man as he hugs and greets Tazuna, watching the four guests warily.

"Oh, Inari. Say hello to these wonderful people. They are ninjas protecting your grandpa and they saved him earlier." Tsunami greets her son with a smile.

He steps away from his grandfather and scrutinizes Team 7 with a calculating gaze, then turns to his mother. "Mom, they're going to die." He points specifically at Naruto.

Naruto stands up from the offensive comment and grits his teeth angrily, "What the hell did you say, you little runt?!"

"Naruto, please calm down…" Sakura pulls on the hem of his orange jumpsuit.

"There's no way you can win against Gatō." Inari says, staring at the wooden floor.

"The hell did you say, brat?! I'll punch you!" Naruto rages and Sakura pulls him back forcefully.

"Seriously, Naruto. He's just a little kid." Sakura frowns, trying to calm her teammate down and Sasuke sighs.

"Just leave him be, Sakura." Sasuke shakes his head.

Then Naruto grins widely, lifting a fist towards Inari's direction. "Listen, little kid! I'm a hero who's going to be the Hokage one day! I don't know this Gatō guy, but I'll beat him!"

"…As if." He looks up at him, "What're you, stupid? There's no such thing as a hero." Inari gives Naruto a look of disdain.

That only serves to fuel the blonde's wrathful fury and he points angrily at the boy. "The hell did you saaaayyyy?! Take that back, you stupid brat!" he thrashed and Sakura smacks him upside the head.

"Stop it, Naruto." She hisses and Sasuke watches in silence.

Inari frowns and turns his back, "Whatever. If you don't wanna die, then leave."

Tsunami sighs tiredly as she puts a hand to her cheek, watching her son walk away.

"Where're you off to, Inari?" Tazuna asks as he watches the boy leave.

"…To look at the ocean in my room." He briefly turns to look at his grandfather before sliding the doors open and leaving the room.

Tsunami turns to give Team 7 an apologetic look, "I'm so sorry about Inari. He can be a little… sometimes, that boy is too difficult to handle."

Tazuna nods in agreement, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Grr…" Naruto grits his teeth and Kakashi did not say anything before turning towards Sakura.

"…By the way, Sakura… I would like to talk about something with you later. Meet me at the bridge after dinner tonight." he says in a serious tone and Sakura stiffens, but slowly nods her head.

"…Yes, sensei."

**(●●●)**

Sakura stands at the edge of the half-completed bridge, staring down at the dark waters below. Her ridiculously long locks of cotton candy flutter wildly against the ocean breeze, free from its up-do. She closes her eyes and takes in the salty scent of the ocean and the gentle caresses of the chilly wind; the sound of the roaring waves somewhat calms the nervousness stirring within her. She slowly opens her jade eyes and tilts her head towards the night sky and can discern a tiny river of stars, painted across the dark canvas.

Quiet footsteps approach her from behind and the girl reluctantly turns her body to the side. "…What a beautiful night… isn't it, Kakashi?"

The silver-haired Jōnin stops two feet away from her, hands inside his pockets as he stares into the darkness. The crescent moon glazes into the night, illuminating their features. He shifts his bored gaze towards her, an unreadable expression on his face. "That's Kakashi-sensei to you, Sakura."

The girl smiles ruefully and shrugs her shoulders before turning back to stare longingly at the half-moon's distorted reflection across the glassy surface of the ocean. "…Not where I'm from…" she whispers softly against the roaring waves and the whipping winds. Kakashi did not reply or perhaps he did not hear her response, yet he continues to study the girl standing on the edge of the bridge. "…Anyway, what do you want to discuss with me?"

The man rubs the back of his neck and stares at the sky, "…Are you really a Genin, Sakura Haruno?"

Blinking at the question, yet did not tear her gaze away from the ocean, "Of course I'm a Genin, Kaka-sensei… I recently graduated from the academy, did you not ask Iruka-sensei? Sheesh, and here I thought you were the smart one." She replies sarcastically.

"It doesn't seem like you're just a Genin to me, Sakura. Compared to Sasuke and Naruto… you're on a different level." He blurts out, ignoring her sarcastic remark. "A mere Genin wouldn't have been able to understand the hidden meaning of the bell test or capable enough to incapacitate a couple of Chūnin level assassins. Also, one cannot just easily stand up to Zabuza without any fear."

A momentary silence passes by and Sakura continues to gaze at the waters. Sakura's conflicting heart and the constricting feeling around her throat prevents her from throwing a comeback. Her tongue suddenly feels parched as a desert and she swallows the miniscule amount of saliva to moisten her mouth. "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you." Kakashi raises a brow as Sakura hesitantly turns to meet his expectant gaze, "…some things are better left unsaid."

"How are you so sure that I would take your words for granted? In all my life, I've heard enough ridiculous and mind-boggling tales, so what makes yours any different?" he crosses his arms across his chest, giving her a scrutinizing stare.

Sakura closes her eyes and shakes her head in disagreement. No, he would never believe her. Even if she were to spill everything to him, he would think she is insane and needs to be thrown into the nearest mental health institution. There is no way in nine levels of hell Sakura would want to spend her lifetime in a rotting asylum filled with the mentally insane and sociopathic psychopaths in every corner, wearing nothing but straitjackets and locked up inside a white padded room. She would definitely turn insane if that were to happen.

"Kaka-sensei… no matter how many times I would tell you what I say is true… you would never believe me. And besides…" she trails off uncertainly, tearing her gaze away from him. "…I made a promise with Lord Sarutobi not to reveal anything to anyone… at least, not yet."

Kakashi sighs and drops his head in surrender. "I see… that's why Lord Hokage wouldn't tell me anything when I visited him three weeks ago." Then he straightens up and addresses her in a serious tone. "However… that doesn't mean you're off the hook yet, Sakura. I'm not entirely convinced that your skills are that of Genin level, but perhaps Chūnin or possibly above."

She grimaces at his words, but refuses to back down. "Yeah, well… I made a promise with our beloved Hokage not to tell anyone anything… yet." She gulps. "Also, I am a Genin for the last time. My above Genin level skills are none of your concern. That's what happens when you're the fifth and third Hokage's valuable apprentice!" Sakura remarks, pointing stubbornly at her instructor.

"…What?" Kakashi narrows his lone eye at his pink-haired student, regarding her with a look of suspicion.

Sakura freezes at her slip-up, trying to recover her confidence and bravado, "As I said, it is classified information. If you want, you can go ask Lord Sarutobi himself." Then she turns away from her teacher to stare at the crescent moon above. "…Anyway, are we done yet? I want to go back, it's getting cold." She wraps her arms around her frail form, shivering slightly against the icy wind. Only wearing a short-sleeved red qipao dress that falls to her knees and a pair of black ninja sandals did not help against the cold nights of the Wave country.

Unfastening the wooly beige cloak from his shoulders, Kakashi sighs and walks towards Sakura. She stiffens at the weight around her shoulders, but gradually relaxes against the warm material shielding her from the cold. "Fine. I forgive you. Just this once, Kaka-sensei." She gives him a cheeky grin.

"Right. It's best we return soon or you'll catch a cold in those clothes." Her teacher replies. "…By the way, since when did you become the third's apprentice?"

"Well, you see… I happen to stumble upon the Hokage's elite bodyguards. Two of them. And one of them with a senbon needle in his mouth asked if I was the Hokage's apprentice and Lord Sarutobi replied in my stead. He said yes and then… yeah." Sakura inwardly sighs at her terrible explanation.

"I see… so the rumors were true… Genma wasn't lying…" Kakashi murmurs to himself, putting a thumb to his chin.

"Wait, did you just say he was the one who was spreading those rumors?" Sakura turns to him with wide eyes, clutching the cloak tightly and her instructor nods his head. "…Damn it. That womanizer… I'll make sure to greet him politely next time…" she inwardly seethes, itching to pummel the brown-haired Shinobi once she returns to the village.

"Hmm… well, I'm looking forward tomorrow morning! Oh, and… before I go, do you have any idea what your chakra nature is?" Kakashi hums, preparing to body flicker and return to Tazuna's house.

"Chakra nature? Um, I think it was… water?" Sakura answers uncertainly.

"Alright then… well, I'm off! Don't stay up too late!" and with that, her silver-haired instructor disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura standing by herself in the emptiness of the night.

"…What a gentleman." She mutters, clutching the warm cloak closer to her body. Casting one last look at the crescent moon, the coral-haired kunoichi turns and walks down the lonely concrete path leading towards the small village of the Waves.

**(-.-)**

"…Are you sure you should be walking around in that condition, Kaka-sensei?" Sakura crosses her arms across her chest, glaring through the slits of her eyes at his crutches.

"Well, I'm just here to watch your progress and teach you how to walk on trees without using your hands." Kakashi answers simply.

"Huh? Walk on trees without using our hands? Sounds fun!" Naruto pipes up.

"How are we able to accomplish that?" Sasuke scoffs.

"Well, easy. Watch and learn, my cute students." Performing a hand seal even in crutches, Kakashi slowly walks towards a solid tree and takes small steps. Naruto and Sasuke watch in amazement at how their instructor easily walked up the side of the tree without the use of his hands. He reaches the uppermost branch and stands, standing upside down to smile at them.

_**SPIDERMAN!**_

_…_

_**…**_

_No comment. _

"H-he climbed that tree… with no hands!" Naruto gushes out and Sakura nods her head.

"It's because Kaka-sensei is able to control the flow of his chakra to the soles of his feet. It's possible to walk on water and climb trees only using your feet if one is able to successfully control chakra." Their pink-haired teammate states, holding up an index finger.

"That's right!" Kakashi smiles at them. "The purpose of this exercise is to teach you guys how to control your chakra. Using the correct amount of chakra when using a jutsu is very crucial. It prevents someone from using up too much chakra and wasting it, causing chakra depletion. Which is fatal, by the way."

"What? But didn't we already learn about chakra?" Naruto scratches his head as he gives Sakura a glance.

"Dead-last is right. This should be easy." Sasuke nods in agreement.

"You won't be saying that once you try it out for yourself." Sakura retorts, albeit sarcastically and Sasuke shoots her a glare.

Kakashi clears his throat and everyone snaps their attention towards him. "…However, this can be difficult even for a skilled ninja to accomplish. The amount of chakra needed for tree climbing is small, but it has to be the exact amount needed. It is said that the soles of the feet is the most difficult area to gather chakra. Basically, if you can learn to control your chakra, it's possible to master any kinds of jutsu… theoretically speaking." Kakashi explains and Naruto shudders in excitement.

'_Hell yeah! That means I can beat Sasuke if I can do this!_' the blonde glances at his quiet teammate at the corner of his eye.

"Secondly, this will also help you in developing the stamina needed to control chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, using and controlling chakra can be very difficult. A ninja would usually gather his chakra during battles while constantly moving. Those kinds of situations would make chakra control much more difficult." Kakashi slips a hand in one of his pockets, continuing his explanation.

"That's why… this tree climbing exercise should help you how to control your chakra and the stamina needed to do so. Well, me talking all day isn't going to accomplish anything so… this is something you'll have to learn yourself." He pulls out three kunais and throws them at their feet. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura look down at the sharp weapons lodged on the ground in front of them.

"Lastly, use those kunais to mark how high you can climb up. Then try to surpass those markings. Also, try to gain some momentum by running up the tree. It won't be good enough to just walk up the tree at first. Got it?"

The three Genins bend down to pick up the kunais and Naruto immediately boasts, "Ha! I'm so going to ace this!" he spins the kunai in his hand and points at his teacher.

"Then stop bragging and start climbing if you want to prove yourself, Naruto." His teacher rolls his eyes. "Now go pick a tree."

"Whatever, old man! Watch me do this!" Naruto grins and performs the hand seal, letting his chakra flow to the soles of his feet before charging straight at a tree.

"Oh my… someone's very eager to start." Sakura shakes her head and performs the hand seal.

**30 minutes later…**

"GAH!" Naruto yells as he lands on his skull for what seems like the hundredth time. He slowly sits up and glares at the looming tree in front of him. "This's so hard!"

Sasuke grits his teeth in frustration as he pushes off against the tree before slashing his kunai to make a mark. He lands on his feet and glances at Naruto's direction. "Tsk… using too little and you won't stick, but using too much and the wood cracks from the force." He sighs tiredly. Then he shifts his gaze towards a certain bubblegum-haired teammate of his, hanging upside down a thick branch. He narrows his onyx eyes at her completely relaxed form and blissful expression.

"Well, well, well… out of all the three of you… it seems like Sakura is by far more superior when it comes to chakra control. She's more likely to become the next candidate for Hokage it seems." Kakashi muses, glancing at his two male students struggling to surpass their female teammate.

"Oh, I'm so flattered Kaka-sensei! Although, Naruto would be the one to take the helm. Sasuke… well, I don't know about him." She shrugs casually and inner chortles madly to herself.

_**CHA! We're way better than Chicken Boy! **_

"Alright! I can do this!" Naruto fist pumps while Sasuke clicks his tongue in annoyance. However, Sakura slyly shifts her gaze towards a tree several meters away. Her fingers twitching to grab a kunai from her holster, but holds back the urge. A small figure watches them from afar, face full of scorn and disdain before turning away. "I sense a little rodent nearby…" Sakura whispers to herself.

Kakashi lifts his head and turns to her, "Since you already know how to climb trees using chakra, I want to show you something. Mind if we leave those two to themselves for a while?"

Sakura shrugs her shoulders, "I don't mind. Besides, I'm itching for some training!" she beams.

"Good, meet me by the docks as soon as possible." He smiles at her and disappears in a poof.

"Hey, Sakura! Where'd Kakashi-sensei go?!" Naruto waves at her from the bottom of the tree.

"Somewhere. Just continue your training! Also, try to relax and focus on gathering a small amount of chakra on the soles of your feet, there's no need to rush!" Sakura replies and with a mock salute, disappears in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

"HUH?! Why'd Sakura and Kakashi-sensei leave?!" Naruto yells, then points at Saucy-cake. "I'm stuck with this emo bastard!"

**…**

"…So, what did you call me out here for?" Sakura stands a few meters away from Kakashi, hands to her waist as she stares off into the horizon. A few seagulls screeching above the clear blue skies as the waves crash against the sandy shores. She looks down at the damp wood beneath her sandaled feet and lifts her head to stare at the figure of a man standing at the edge of the dock.

"You told me you're a water-user, correct?" he turns around, hands in his pockets.

"Well, I think… yeah. I mean, Lord Sarutobi gave me this paper that enables someone to determine what chakra nature they have. The paper immediately turned soggy and dissipated in my hand within seconds and he told me my nature is water, just like the second Hokage, Lord Senju." Sakura says, listening to the sounds of the crashing waves.

"Hmm… well, this should work." Kakashi positions his hand in an Ox seal. "Now, I want you to try and learn all the hand seals for this jutsu." He gives her a smile and Sakura raises a brow. "Ox, monkey, hare, rat, boar, bird, ox, horse, bird, rat, tiger, dog, tiger, snake, ox, ram, snake, boar, ram, rat, yang water, monkey, bird, dragon, bird, ox, horse, ram, tiger, snake, rat, monkey, hare, boar, dragon, ram, rat, ox, monkey, bird, yang water, rat, boar, bird. Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu." After reciting all forty-four hand seals, a gigantic pillar of water rises from the ocean's surface and forms into a dragon.

Sakura drops her jaw at the thirty meter tall water dragon looming above them. "…Uh… what… c-can you repeat the hand seals again? Better yet, write them down for me."

Kakashi chuckles lightly at her reaction and dispels the jutsu, the dragon bursts, spraying water everywhere. Sakura blinks repeatedly at the burst of salty water, wiping her hand across her face. "Well, in due time, you'll be able to memorize the hand seals and perform the jutsu easily. Practice makes perfect after all." Her teacher pulls out a small sheet of paper and a pencil out of nowhere, jotting down all forty-four hand seals.

"Ugh… that jutsu you copied from Zabuza looks hard. It's at least a B-Rank." She pouts.

"Hahah… don't worry, I'll teach you a few water-type jutsus as well. After all, there is nothing the Hokage's apprentice cannot do, right?"

Smiling sweetly at her beloved silver-haired instructor, "Kaka-sensei, do you like swimming in cold, frigid waters? I'm sure the ocean is great! No need for a bathing suit!" she slowly raises a chakra-infused fist.

Kakashi sweat drops and holds his hands up in surrender and defense. "I-I mean… I'm sure you'll be able to surpass Lord Hokage! You're his number one apprentice, after all!"

"Whatever. I'll start practicing…" she sighs, dropping her shoulders in reluctance.

"That's the spirit! Now, I'll show you how to perform Water Release: Ripping Torrent and Water Release: Giant Vortex Jutsu."

**(O_O) Three Days Later…**

"So tired…!" Sakura stretches her arms and lets out a loud yawn, not caring if anyone hears her. She rubs her eyes tiredly, sitting on a slab of perfectly cut rectangular limestone as she watches the workers working on the bridge. Sounds of sledgehammers and chatter mixed together as every men are busy trying to complete the bridge. Tazuna stops to glance at her, carrying a steel beam on his shoulder. He wipes the sweat forming across his creased forehead with a towel and huffs at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be training with your sensei?" he addresses her, waving off another worker.

Sakura leans forward on her elbows, "Ugh… Kaka-sensei was so harsh with my training that I decided to take the day off today. Besides, he's busy supervising Naruto and Duck Boy. I already learned how to climb trees without using my hands, so…"

"No wonder… that explains why the waters are so restless recently. I think I saw a giant wave yesterday. A lot of citizens have complained that someone's been going around blasting water out of their fists." He hums, adjusting his yellow helmet.

Sakura sheepishly laughs, "Er, yeah… I've been practicing some jutsu Kaka-sensei taught me… I still have a long way to go, though." She throws back her head and leans back on her elbows.

"Hey, Tazuna! Can I talk to you?" a somewhat elderly man approaches Tazuna.

"Hmm, Gīchi? What is it?" Tazuna lowers down the steel beam on the ground, turning to face the worker.

"Uh, I've thought a lot recently… I don't know, but, I'm thinking about quitting." He gulps.

Tazuna throws his arms down in alarm, "What?! Not you too! We already lost a lot of men as of now!"

The man did not answer for a second, but slowly meets Tazuna's gaze. "Look, Tazuna… we've been good friends for a long time, but… if this keeps up, Gatō will have our heads! And if you get killed, what's the point?"

Sakura continues to watch the scene silently, turning her head sideways to stare at the ocean, the waves lapping against the tall concrete footholds of the bridge.

"…Why don't we quit building the bridge? It's not yet too late." Gīchi suggests, however, Tazuna turns away from his friend.

"…I can't do that." He lifts his head to stare at the workers working diligently. "This bridge is our bridge. This bridge will be able to bring in important resources for our poor country if we were to complete it. It symbolizes hope, hope that someday the Land of Waves will prosper, regardless of Gatō and his underlings interfering." Tazuna states.

"What?! But what if—what if we lose our lives?! What then?!" his friend cries out desperately.

Tazuna casually walks away, glancing at the sky. "It's already noon. Why don't we stop here for today." Then he cranes his neck, "Gīchi, you don't have to come to work tomorrow."

**…(^.^)…**

Sakura and Tazuna walk down the nearly crowded streets of Waves. The pink-haired kunoichi studies the poverty-driven village and the run-down wooden buildings. Several people with pointed straw hats gather around street corners, begging for food and money. Others walk past them with glum looks on their faces and a bearded man walks past them wearing a sign that says, 'will work for anything'. Sakura looks away when an elderly woman holding a frail looking child in her arms walks by her. Shifting her gaze elsewhere, she feels sympathy stab her in the heart. A small group of frail looking children stands outside a tiny pastry shop. Their loose shirts hanging limply down their bony shoulders; their stick-like figures enough to make Sakura look down in pity. She lifts her head when she hears a disturbance up ahead.

"Hey, thief! Get back here!" a man waving a rolling-pin yells at a boy running away, clutching a loaf of bread in his arms. Sakura easily side-steps the rushing boy and inches closer to Tazuna.

"Ah… I'm supposed to bring home food for lunch." Tazuna tips his pointed straw hat.

"Are we going to stop by a market?" she whispers and the man nods his head.

They soon arrive in front of a run-down building with steel roofs and Sakura glances at a little boy wearing filthy tattered clothes three sizes big, sitting on the ground beside the open doors. _This boy… he's so young… _She studies the child sitting by himself on the ground, covered in dirt and grime.

"Here we are…" the bridge builder looks up at the rusty sign. They step inside the humid store and Sakura wipes the sweat forming across her forehead, fanning herself from the heat.

_**No air-conditioning! Great! **_

_ Inner… have some sympathy. Can't you see everyone is suffering?_

_**I know that! It's just that… ugh! This place reeks! **_

_Whatever. Just endure it._

"Welcome…" the young woman behind the register greets them with a smile. Sakura smiles back before turning towards the wooden shelves. Most of them are empty and only a few vegetables are displayed. Some of them look rotten and way past their expiration date, but Tazuna carefully checks and picks up two cabbages. He examines both before picking the one that looks fresher and greener.

A man wearing a tan trench coat with a black beret walks past Sakura. He slyly looks down at her pouches, the young girl unaware. He slowly reaches out his right hand towards her pouch…

BAM!

_**SHAANNAARROO! CAN'T TOUCH THIS!**_

"Pervert!" the coral-haired girl swings a high kick aimed at his face. The man stumbles several feet backwards from the force, instantly knocking him out. Sakura lowers her foot in relief, until she notices the gushing blood running down the man's nose.

_**EEEWWW! He was having a nosebleed! What a creep! Thank Kami for kicking his ass, Sakura!**_

The shopkeeper gasps in surprise and Tazuna whirls around in alarm, ready to chuck the cabbage as a weapon. "I-I'm so sorry, young lady! I saw that man was trying to reach into your pouch." The woman behind the counter says.

"Oh…" is all Sakura can say.

They finished shopping for food after purchasing what they need and the two of them walk out of the shop. Once again, Sakura shields her eyes from the scorching sun.

"You surprised me back there." Tazuna refers to the man trying to steal from her and Sakura sweat drops.

"Uh, well…" she stiffens up when she senses someone behind her. A small hand patting her behind and Sakura whips around in alarm. A young frail girl with dirty matted hair holds out her hands. She gives Sakura a toothy grin, her face covered in dirt and Sakura frowns. _Is she begging me for something?_

Looking at the young girl's face, Sakura lets a radiant smile bloom across her features. She reaches into one of her beige pouches and pulls out a handful of candies, wrapped in colorful wrappers that shimmer under the sun. She gingerly pours the gracious amount of sweets into the girl's cupped hands. "Thank you, big sister!" The child beams in happiness, bowing her head as a thank you before dashing off into the opposite direction.

"It's been like this ever since Gatō came." Tazuna watches the child run towards a group of children around her age. Sakura looks up at him, an understanding look on her face. "All of the adults have lost hope. That's why… we need to finish building the bridge; a symbol of bravery. We need everyone to regain the desire and courage to stand up to Gatō once and for all. If we manage to complete the bridge… this city will be able to recover and the people here will return to how they used to be." He lowers his gaze, clenching his fists in determination.

Sakura smiles and tilts her head to stare up at the sky. _It'll be alright, Mr. Tazuna… because, we have those two idiots… _

**Two Days Later…**

Naruto lies on the grassy ground, asleep. Exhausted from his tree climbing training and the fact that Sasuke left him to sleep out in the woods by himself. The early morning sun filters through the leaves, sparrows chirping softly and flying through the thick shrubs. He did not sense a person approaching him silently, the sparrows gathering around his battered form fly away from the disturbance.

A young woman wearing a spiral printed light blue yukata that falls to her ankles with a white obi tied around her waist slowly walks towards him. Her sandaled feet did not make any noise aside from the slight rustle of the leaves and the chirping sparrows. She bends down next to Naruto and reaches out a hand to check his pulse, her fingers brushing lightly against his neck, enough to wake him up. "You will catch a cold sleeping out in the open like this." She smiles gently at the blonde. Naruto blinks his eyes open, tightening his grip around a kunai in his hand.

"W-wha—huh?" he slowly sits up, "W-who are you?" he studies her long raven locks, shining like silk under the sunlight. The beautiful young woman smiles back, but did not answer.

**(^_^)**

"Uh… is this the plant you want, lady?" Naruto holds up a eucalyptus plant, holding the herb by its stem.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance." The young woman smiles, gently plucking the herbs.

Naruto studies her graceful movements before looking up at her soft features. "You sure are working early."

She briefly looks up at the blonde before putting the herbs in a woven basket beside her feet. "I can say the same about you. What are you doing out here so early in the morning?"

"I'm training!" Naruto eagerly answers, catching her attention.

She tucks a long strand of ebony behind her ear, giving him a surprised look. "That forehead protector… are you a ninja, perhaps?" she gestures at the leaf insignia.

"You noticed?! Yeah, I'm a ninja!" the blonde grins, pointing a thumb to his self.

She looks down at the plants with a smile and continues plucking the herbs, filling the basket full to the brim. "I see… you are incredible. Why are you training?"

"It's because I wanna be stronger!"

"Oh? But you already look very strong."

"Yeah, but I wanna become even stronger!"

The young woman lifts her chin to give him a somber yet understanding look, "…Why is that?"

Naruto clenches his fist in determination, flashing her a blinding grin. "So I'll become the best ninja in my village! I'll make everyone acknowledge my strength! Also, I want to prove myself to someone."

The woman continues to regard him with a serious expression, before blurting out a question. "Are you doing it for someone else? Or for yourself?"

"…Uh, what?" he tilts his head to the side.

Instead, the woman puts a hand to her mouth, chuckling softly to herself. '_How endearing… he is such a pure boy._'

"H-hey! What's so funny, lady?" he whines.

"Do you… have someone precious to you?" she smiles softly. A look of nostalgia and pain flickers through her eyes for a brief second, but Naruto fails to notice. However, he continues to stare skeptically at the young woman in front of him. "…I believe that when someone has a person they want to protect… that is when they can truly become strong."

A wide smile slowly forms across Naruto's face, agreeing with her words. "Yeah! I think I understand, lady!"

She smiles back before standing up and dusting off her yukata. "I see… that is good. I guarantee that you will become strong. I hope we meet again in the near future." With that, she casually walks away from the clearing.

"Sure!"

"By the way… I am a boy." He says, disappearing through the trees.

…

…

…

'WHAT?! BUT—BUT—YOU LOOK LIKE A VERY PRETTY WOMAN! ALMOST AS CUTE AS SAKURA!' Naruto mentally screams, clutching his head in disbelief.

* * *

**Omake:**

Hiding behind a tree, Sakura silently listens to the conversation between Naruto and the mysterious woman. She makes sure to mask her chakra to avoid detection, yet she knows that Haku is not stupid. After revealing his true gender to a stupefied Naruto, Sakura sneakily follows him. It is not long before the young man stops in a clearing, holding the basket close to his side.

He slowly turns around and gazes deep into the woods. "I know you are there. You can stop hiding now."

A swirl of cherry blossoms appear just a few meters away from his line of sight. The young man watches calmly as the blossoms form a female's silhouette. Her long pink locks flutter gently down to the ground, shimmering against the sunlight. Sakura opens her jade eyes to stare back at Haku's warm chocolate ones.

"You found me." She flashes him a small smile.

He assesses her delicate and porcelain-like features before focusing his gaze into her beryl orbs. "Who are you?"

"…Sakura. What's your name?"

"…I am Haku."

A moment of awkward silence passes between the two and inner shifts uncomfortably.

_**Awkward… knowing that this beautiful model-like person in front of us is a guy! **_

"…Are you really a boy?" Sakura blurts out.

Haku tilts his head to the side, giving her an innocent stare. "Why, of course. Why would I lie about my gender?"

"Um… well, uh… you're beautiful enough to be mistaken as a girl! I would so go after you if I was interested!" Sakura shouts, her face flushing red before covering her mouth in embarrassment. "Uh, I mean…! It's not like I… um…"

_**I'm not going to lie. I would so do him! Ten out of ten! **_

Haku chuckles at her cute antics, waving off her embarrassment and spontaneous outburst. "Oh my… I am flattered by your honesty. I usually do not receive such compliments from others. Thank you." he gives her a stunning smile, enough to melt a maiden's heart. Sakura blushes, but regains her composure as a true kunoichi.

"Sheesh… making me blush all of a sudden." Sakura rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, avoiding his gaze. "…What do you think of Zabuza?" she schools her features in a blank expression.

Haku drops his smile and tilts his head back to stare at the sky, a blissful yet melancholy expression on his face. His long, soft locks flutter gently against the wind. "…I love him. And I would gladly lay my life down for him. Zabuza… he is very precious to me." Haku suddenly meets her gaze, eyes filled with strong resolve and determination to protect his loved one. Sakura did not answer, but slowly nods her head in understanding.

A small, yet sad smile flits across her face. "…I understand. I hope we meet again." Sakura lifts her head, returning his gaze. Haku understands and smiles at her.

"You will become a strong kunoichi someday, I am sure. For that, we shall cross paths again. Under different circumstances." He turns to walk away.

"I agree… if only we weren't enemies… I'm sure, we'll be good friends! And I know… Naruto would definitely agree with that." The pink-haired girl calls out. Haku did not turn his head to look at her nor to stop in his tracks. He simply continues to walk ahead, a smile on his face. Sakura knows he heard her and with one last look at his retreating figure, she vanishes in a burst of cherry blossoms.

* * *

**Long chapter… but I haven't updated at all last week! For that, I deeply apologize for the long wait! I'm so busy packing and preparing for a three-week long vacation out of country. Therefore, I won't be able to update starting Friday this week! Since I'll be gone for a while, there will be no updates until I return! Sorry, can't bring my precious laptop and my parents strictly forbids any use of technology during such times. **

**On the other hand, I have lots of things to study for my AP classes next year. I still have two novels to read and a packet to study for next school year. I won't be surprised if I walk into my AP classes on the first day of school with a pop-quiz! Urk! **

**Also, thank you and I really appreciate all the reviews so far! If you have something to say or an opinion, please feel free to share! I don't mind constructive criticisms and I very much encourage that! If there are any mistakes in my writing or if you have any complaints, don't be shy and share them with me! I would love to improve my writing! **

**Anyhoo… this chapter is kinda boring with a lot of dialogue and stuff… no action, unlike the previous two chapters. But it's a nice change of pace. It's very difficult for me to write fight scenes. Well, until next time~**


	8. Chapter 8

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 8: The Bridge Battle Commences!

* * *

Sakura squints her eyes shut as she concentrates on the jutsu. Imagining the form of a dragon and incorporating her chakra to form its shape. The water slowly rises from the ocean's surface; a huge swirling pillar. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of her face, but she pushes on. Ignoring the cool waters lapping against her feet and the feel of the silky sand between her toes as the loud waves crash against the shore.

_Now!_

Her eyes flutter open and the gargantuan pillar of water rises and slowly forms into a majestic dragon. Its glowing teal eyes stares up into the graying skies covered with thick, gray clouds. Sakura ignores the whipping winds slashing against her face, sending her long locks flying wildly behind her. The aquatic dragon opens its mouth and sends a deafening roar that echoes throughout the restless sea.

"Wow! Way to go, Sakura!" a loud voice yells over the ocean breeze and the crashing waves, but that did not deter Sakura. Instead, she continues to hold the dragon's form from collapsing as she stares into its eyes.

_I did it! All my hard work finally paid off!_

She relishes in her small victory, looking up at the gray sky then switching her gaze towards the gray waters. The thick graying clouds loom across the skies, concealing the setting sun over the horizon. The strong winds continue to create larger waves that send them crashing rather harshly into the shore. Sakura slowly backs up as she averts her gaze towards the water dragon, now staring at her smaller form.

"Wah!" her left heel smacks right into a rough and solid object and the pink-haired girl falls backwards. Losing her concentration and feeling her chakra slipping from her control, the dragon explodes and sends a huge burst of ocean spray everywhere. Tiny droplets of salty water falls back to the sea, creating numerous ripples across the surface. Sakura falls on her behind and mixes of salty water and dark sand splashes into her form.

_**Well, at least you managed to hold its form for twelve seconds. That's a record.**_

Inner snickers sarcastically and Sakura flicks her filthy bangs away from her wet forehead in frustration. "Your sarcasm is always needed, Inner." The girl sighs upon seeing the droplets of water and traces of sand staining her black top and white shorts. She stands up and tries to brush the sand away from her legs and arms and wiping her hands on her dirtied shorts. Her bright coral hair now a filthy shade of sopping pink and Inner-Sakura sighs in resignation.

_**It's getting late... I think we should head back.**_

_No, I want to work on another jutsu Kaka-sensei taught us. Apparently, I'm not yet ready to excel the water dragon jutsu._

_**Knock yourself out.**_

This time, Sakura chooses not to comment and opts for rolling her eyes instead. She continues to ignore the two figures walking back to Tazuna's house hundreds of meters from where she stands. Both look exhausted and ready to pass out as one of them continues to half-walk and half-drag himself as the other tries to drag his teammate and walk towards the wooden cottage.

**(*_*)/**

Tsunami turns the faucet off as she stares out the windows, noticing the approaching clouds in the distance. Everything is gray. From the dull skies to the looming clouds and the restless sea reflecting the dull color. '_It's going to rain...'_ The blue-haired woman frowns as she wipes her hands with a tattered towel. She casts a brief glance at the clock on the wall. _'It's already five o'clock?'_

SLAM.

The wooden doors suddenly open as two battered and exhausted figures slowly walk or rather drag themselves into the room. "Heh, we're back and we did it." Naruto grins victoriously, covered in cuts, bruises, and a few bumps here and there. Sasuke smirks in reply as he and Naruto shares a glance, also covered in cuts and bruises to a lesser extent.

"...'Bout time." Tazuna looks up from his drink. "What's this? You guys look tired as hell." He raises a brow and Kakashi surveys his two students with a small feeling of pride.

"We... made it to the top. Both of us." Naruto dislodge himself from Sasuke and slowly walks towards the table and collapses on the seat next to his teacher. Sasuke quickly walks and sits down across from Kakashi and next to a silent and sulking Inari. Kakashi clears his throat and smiles at the two, brimming with pride.

"Alright! So... starting tomorrow, you two can assist with protecting Tazuna. Sakura has been working hard as of lately, so it's better if she has her boys helping her as well." he smiles at them.

"Hells yeah!" Naruto looks up and fist pumps before slumping against his seat and putting his head down on the table. Sasuke nods silently and laces his fingers together on top of the table.

Tazuna downs a glass of saké and grins at the two. "Heh, seems like you guys have been working hard as well. I'm also worn out from today's work. The bridge's almost complete anyway." He sets the glass down carefully and looks through his glasses at both Naruto and Sasuke.

Tsunami shakes her head as she grabs plates from the wooden shelves. "Now, now... father. Don't push yourself. You too, Naruto and Sasuke." She gives them a pointed look.

Inari, however, stares coldly at Naruto's drooling face. Images of his "hero," Kaiza, flashes through his mind. The brave fisherman who once stood up against Gatō, but lost his life in the end. He continues to stare at Naruto until a single teardrop spills from his eye. '_Don't cry... don't cry..._' He chants in his head, but the tears will not stop. It was too much. The resemblance between the courageous man who once taught him how to live his life with no regrets and Naruto's persistent personality brings back more depressing and heart-wrenching memories.

The little boy looks down in sadness as tears continue to pour down his cheeks. Naruto opens his eyes and looks at him in slight alarm.

'_Why... why... why is it...'_

"Hah?" Naruto tips his head to the side in confusion as Inari raises his head.

"Why...! Why do you guys even bother to try?! No matt―no matter how hard you train, you'll never be able to beat Gatō and his men!" he stands up abruptly and slams his small hands across the table. "It doesn't matter what you say or how hard you work...! In the end, the strong ends up killing the weak!"

A deafening silence settles upon the dining room. Tsunami widens her eyes in shock as Tazuna, Kakashi, and Sasuke stares at the little boy in grim silence. Naruto huffs and puts his head back down on the table, leaning on his arms. "Whatever, kid. I'm not like you."

Inari shouts in frustration as tears and snot runs down his face. "Well, I really hate to be like you, anyway! Y―you don't know anything about our country, yet you're so nosy!

"W―what the hell do you know about me?! I'm not like you! You're always clowning around and acting so happy...! Wh―when you don't even know how hard life can be!"

Something snaps in Naruto's head and he darkly glares at Inari. "...So it's okay for you to cry and act like a crybaby all the time? Like someone from a tragedy?"

"Huh?" Inari looks at him skeptically, lowering down his clenched fists.

"Then just keep on crying like the little sissy that you are!" Naruto gives him a furious look before standing up and turning away from the table. "Humph!"

"...!" Inari widens his eyes for a brief second before looking down and clutching the pants of his overalls tightly as tears continue to run down his face.

"..." Kakashi inwardly sighs as he watches Naruto's figure walk away before regarding a crying Inari a sympathetic glance.

**( :/ )**

"...May I join you?" A voice says over the sounds of the waves and the ocean breeze. Startled, Inari whips around in alarm before recognizing the person. He did not answer and turns away from the man, continuing to stare at the water below.

Kakashi quietly walks and sits beside him, his feet dangling at the edge of the wooden platform. He lifts his chin to look at the monochrome sky then back below at his distorted reflection on the ocean's surface. "I'm sure Naruto didn't mean any harm by what he said earlier. Sometimes... he doesn't think about his own choice of words. That boy speaks before he thinks."

"..." Inari hugs his knees closer to his body, staring glumly at his reflection.

Kakashi studies his small form before shifting his gaze towards a lone figure in the distance, her pink hair fluttering about wildly. "Anyway, Mr. Tazuna told us about your... stepfather. Just like you, Naruto grew up without a father."

Inari lifts his head as he stares at the silver-haired man in shocked silence. Kakashi dips a finger in the ocean, feeling the cool waters prickling against his exposed skin. "Actually, he has never known his parents in his entire life. Never had a single friend either. The truth is... Naruto had a much rougher past than most people."

"H―huh?"

"...But, not once I had seen him cry nor complain. Naruto's always..." Kakashi continues, "...trying his best to make others acknowledge him and for that... he'd risk his life anytime, just to accomplish his dream." Then Kakashi smiles wryly as he continues to watch Sakura practice in the distance. "He's probably sick and tired of crying, that's why he knows how to be strong. Just like your stepfather, Kaiza.

"...And for that, Naruto's able to understand how you feel better than anyone else." he looks down at Inari.

"What're you talking about?" Inari asks uncertainly.

Kakashi smiles at him, "I guess I can say that Naruto is deeply concerned about you."

"..." Inari widens his eyes at the man's words.

"OH NO―" A feminine scream can be heard as the two lift their heads to stare at the figure of a soaking girl desperately running away from the water. What looks like a thirty meter tall water dragon bursts as a giant wave approaches the sandy shores. Inari and Kakashi watch in horror and amusement―in Kakashi's case―as the fast approaching wave furiously crashes against the shore. The coral-haired girl's screams are silenced as the wave looms above her, drowning her screams.

"I-I-Is she going to be okay?" Inari stutters in horror at what he just witnessed.

Kakashi did not spare him a glance as he continues to watch Sakura's desperate attempts at trying to swim back towards the shore as another wave approaches. Her soaking wet hair bobs on the ocean's surface as she claws her way through the deadly waters. Kakashi puts a thumb to his chin, "She'll be alright... probably."

"Uh... right." Inari watches her in pity as Sakura finally manages to swim back to shore and collapses on the sand on her back as she stares up at the sky.

After that, a soaking wet Sakura enters Tazuna's house and walks straight towards the bathroom. Ignoring the amused looks from her teammates and instructor as Tsunami rushes to her aid. Then Team 7 had dinner with the rest of Tazuna's family that night as the rain pounds furiously against the steel roofs. Sakura stares outside the closed windows at the downpour, the raindrops falling harshly at the raging ocean as thunder rolls from above.

That night, she stares at the ceiling in the darkness of her room. Lightning flashes outside, illuminating the room and her soft features briefly. She turns to her side to look outside the window and watches the rain pouring down violently and listening to its pattering sounds; lulling her to a deep slumber and her only comfort in that stormy night.

**(^.^^.^)**

Gently pushing his unruly hair away from his forehead, Sakura closes her eyes as her hand glows pink before quickly flickering to a mint green. Naruto continues to snore lightly, occasionally muttering gibberish in his sleep. The greenish glow slowly diminishes and Sakura pulls away, satisfied, with a smile on her face. Pushing herself to her feet, the pink-haired girl gives him a quick glance before quietly turning away. Opening the sliding doors with ease, she closes them carefully.

Letting out a tired sigh, Sakura fixes her red qipao top and makes sure her white apron-like skirt is securely fastened and not revealing too much of her black spandex shorts underneath. She lifts a hand to carefully secure the senbon needles tucked into her bun and making sure her hair stays clear from her face.

"Sakura! It's time to go." Kakashi calls out from outside.

After securing her beige pouches, "I know!" Sakura answers before walking towards the door.

"You ready to go?" Tazuna grunts upon seeing the coral-haired kunoichi. She gives him a nod while putting on her black combat boots/ninja sandals. "Good, let's go." the bridge builder glances at one of the windows. The small figure watching them turns away from the window and Tazuna sighs.

"Now that everyone's here... let's go. By the way, Ms. Tsunami, please take care of Naruto." Kakashi addresses the woman standing outside the door, wishing them luck and farewell. "He pushed himself to the limit, and I'm afraid he won't be able to move much today."

"Yes, I will. I'll make sure he'll stay in bed for today." Tsunami replies. The silver-haired man nods in agreement before turning away to follow the bridge builder and two of his students walking ahead of him.

Craning her neck to look back at the dark-haired woman, "We'll be back!" Sakura flashes her an encouraging smile and Tsunami smiles back at her.

**(=.=)**

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!" An inhumane scream echoes throughout the small nation of the Land of Waves. "I OVERSLEPT!" A yellowish blur zooms through the silent and empty hallways before nearly running into a door. "Where'd everyone go?" he pants, leaning against the door frame.

Tsunami and Inari stares at him in slight shock and alarm. "Naruto? You're up already." She casually responds, interrupting her in the middle of knitting a cute red sweater. "Your sensei said that you should rest..."

Naruto runs back to his room while shouting, "They left me! I knew it! They left me here on purpose!" He whines while changing to his usual orange jumpsuit before quickly running to the front doors. He nearly trips and lands on his face while putting on his blue ninja sandals before dashing off. "I'm off!" the door slams shut, startling Tsunami and Inari.

Silently staring at the closed door, Inari huffs in irritation while Tsunami lets out a sigh. "Oh dear..."

**...**

"Inari! Can you please help me with the dishes?" Tsunami calls out from the kitchen. Scrubbing the dirty stacks of plates with a sponge and letting the running water wash them clean.

"Fiiiiiiine!" Inari whines, "But I'm in the bathroom right now!"

Unbeknownst to them, two unfriendly looking figures carrying what appears to be a katana blade smirk as they approach the house with a confident stride.

**...**

"What the―what the hell happened here?!" Tazuna gasps in alarm upon seeing several of his fellow workers slightly injured and semi-unconscious on the ground.

Sakura stiffens when she notices the mist surrounding the bridge is getting thicker. Looking up at the sky, she notices that thick clouds cover the blue expanse, obstructing the sun. Then she turns to see Tazuna approach one of the injured workers.

"What happened?" he asks one of them, kneeling down beside the man to check his injuries. The man coughs up blood before struggling to answer.

"A-a-a m-monster...! H-he appeared!" the injured worker gasps out.

'_Could it be..._' Kakashi briefly scans his surroundings, his lone eye surveying anything that seems out-of-place. "Everyone, get ready!" he commands and Sasuke and Sakura both whip out a kunai. Tazuna hastily sticks closer to Sakura, staring through the thickening mist with unease.

"It's Zabuza, isn't it?" Sakura whispers before a familiar, yet ominous voice answers her question.

"Heh, heh, heh... it's been a while, Kakashi..." the demonic voice seems to echo from every direction, making it difficult for Sakura to pinpoint his exact location in the mist. At the same time, she can sense two approaching chakra signatures meters away from their current position. Sasuke, on the other hand, shakes in anticipation as he clutches the kunai tightly in his right hand. "...and I see that you're still dragging around your ragtag team of whiny little brats. And that poor kid... he's shaking like a leaf. Back for round two, I'm guessing?"

SHAZAM.

Several Zabuza clones appear right before everyone's eyes. Tazuna stiffens and shudders in fear when he senses a presence directly behind him; the weakest spot in their formation, the center. Also, it did not help the fact that there is another Zabuza staring him down in front of him.

Unfazed by the swordsman's retort, Sasuke lifts his head to smirk at the clone in front of him. "I'm not scared of a demon like you... I'm shaking in excitement."

_**...**_

_..._

_**Kami, that was so cheesy! Couldn't he have said something else? **_

_I know how you feel Inner... but as you can see, the authoress is too lazy to come up with something original. So clichés will have to do for now._

_**What?**_

_Let's just kick some ass and get this over with. _

Zabuza widens his eyes for a fraction of a second before a malicious smirk settles over his malevolent features. "Humph. We'll see, kid... we'll see."

Despite the unnerving presence of a dangerous ninja and the deadly position they are in, Kakashi smiles in amusement, "Don't underestimate my students, Zabuza. They're more capable than you would think. Do it, Sasuke and Sakura."

Before the clones can swing their swords at them, the two figures vanish in a blur. Surprising all the clones and that is enough for Sasuke and Sakura's fast and furious assault in taking them all out. The clones burst into water, sending splashes of aqua around them. Forming a ring of water, Sasuke and Sakura flash back into their positions, expertly holding their kunais before them. Sasuke looks up, an arrogant smirk plastered across his features as he lowers down his arms. Sakura grins victoriously while spinning her kunai before putting it back inside her kunai holster. And... Tazuna gapes as he watches drops of water fall to the concrete ground, splashing against his wooden sandals.

Tucking a loose strand behind her ear, "We're more than capable of taking your clones down when it comes to teamwork." Sakura puts her hands to her waist and turns her head to wink at Sasuke. The raven-haired boy grunts in agreement before shooting her a strange look.

'_You can't fool me!_' Sasuke quickly shifts his gaze towards the two figures approaching from the mist.

"That's too bad... they managed to see through those water clones. Your brats have grown, Kakashi." the swordsman surveys the two Genin, his gaze lingers at Sakura before switching over to Sasuke. "...It looks like you finally have a worthy rival, Haku."

"Indeed." the masked ninja answers.

Kakashi straightens up, giving Zabuza and his masked companion a nonchalant stare. "I was right on the mark. That long-haired masked boy beside him... he's obviously working with Zabuza."

_Oh, Haku..._

Their lovable coral-haired kunoichi frowns at the sight of everyone's favorite androgynous Mist ninja.

"I'll be his opponent." Sasuke proclaims, catching everyone's attention. Clenching his fist in a silent fury, "Tricking us like that... I hate bastards like him the most."

Everyone sweat drops and Sakura gives him an incredulous look, but purses her lips in a thin line.

"What an impressive young man. Even though the water clones only contain approximately one-half of that of the original's strength... still, it was very impressive." Haku replies in a somewhat melodious tone. Then he slowly turns his neck to acknowledge Sakura's presence. Inclining his head in an almost innocent manner, "You too, young lady. Your speed is almost on par with your teammate. However, you are still lacking in that field. I can tell speed and stamina is not your forte. But with more arduous training, you will certainly be able to surpass many in due time."

Sakura blinks stupidly, her beryl eyes wide in surprise. "I... I... speechless... whut? Hah? T-thank you..." she stutters out, unable to form coherent sentences. "Er... you're impressive too." she adds with a nervous laugh.

Kakashi sighs and puts a palm to his face. "Sakura, please don't praise our enemies and boost their egos. After all, we still have a mission to protect Mr. Tazuna from any threats."

"Why, thank you. Still, both of you are impressive at such a young age." the masked person hums.

"However... we still have the advantage." Zabuza grunts, "Haku."

"Yes." he disappears in a whirl of leaves and droplets of water, appearing within nanoseconds before Sasuke. Upon hearing the splash, Sasuke reacts with a quick slide, blocking senbon needles with a kunai.

**(-_-)**

WOOSH.

SLASH.

Chunks of wood scatter and fall with a messy clatter upon the floor. Startling the dark-haired woman, Tsunami whips around to stare at two thug-looking imbeciles armed with a sharp katana respectively. One sports a terrible haircut and covered in tattoos with an eye-patch, while the other one wears a black beanie and a lime green zipped up hoodie, trying to look cool yet dangerous at the same time.

The one with the black beanie takes a few steps forward along with his companion, looking at the woman with an evil smirk. "Are ya Tazuna's daughter? Sorry, but you comin' with us."

"KYAAA!" Inari snaps his head upon hearing his mother's scream from downstairs. Shutting off the faucet and wiping his hands on his overalls, he quietly turns the knob and exits the bathroom.

Making his way towards the disturbance, Inari runs to the kitchen and gasps in shock. Several plates smashed and broken into pieces lay scattered all over the floor along with broken chunks of wood. He averts his gaze and stares at his mother sitting on the floor, backed into a wooden shelf. "Mom!" he shouts.

"Waddya want, kiddo?" the one with the tattoos and eye-patch sneers at him.

Tsunami turns to look at her son with an alarmed expression across her distressed features. "Inari! Don't come here! Run!" she shouts.

The pirate wannabe smirks, "Should we take him too?"

His companion frowns, "Nah, we only need one hostage."

'_H-hostage...?_' the little boy gulps in fear, hiding behind the door frame while peeking at the intruders.

"Hehe..." the tattooed man smiles cruelly, unsheathing his katana. The sharp blade glints dangerously and Inari clutches the door frame firmly, tears threatening to spill from his watery eyes. "Then it's fine if I kill him, yeah?"

"W-wait...!" his mother startles them. "If either of you touch my child... I will bite my tongue and slit my throat." The two thugs slowly crane their heads to look at her, lowering down their weapons. Tears spill from Inari's eyes upon hearing his mother's words. Tsunami stares them down defiantly and refuses to back away, "You want a hostage, right?"

"Good choice, lady." the hoodie wearing guy turns to Inari. "Ya hear that, kid? Better thank yer mom for saving yer sorry little ass."

"God damn it! I wanna cut a bitch." his half-naked companion clicks his tongue in annoyance while knocking a glass pitcher down to the floor, shattering it upon contact.

"Dude, calm the fuck down. Ya already cut a bunch of stuff up. Let's take 'er and get the hell outta 'ere."

Inari falls to his knees in a sobbing mess, cursing himself as a coward while watching the intruders tie his mother up and taking her away. '_M-mom... I-I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...! I-I can't protect you... I'm so weak..._' He hugs himself closer and sniffs loudly. Salty tears and snot running down his face.

_'You little sissy!'_

His eyes snap open in shock and realization upon hearing Naruto's words. Images of Naruto calling him a sissy and Kakashi telling him about Naruto flashes through his mind. Tears stream down his face as he remembers his mother's smiling face at him and his stepfather's proud grin, encouraging him to become a brave person one day.

_'He truly knows how to be strong, just like your stepfather.'_

_'Oh, Inari... my precious son.'_

_'If it's truly precious, even if you were to lose your life, you must continue to protect it with your two hands!'_

'_...With my two hands...?_' The little boy slowly lifts his palms, watching his tear drops fall onto the skin as it slides down to his wrist. Then he lifts an arm to wipe the tears away from his face.

'_They're so incredible..._' An image of Sasuke and Sakura with Kakashi flashes in his mind.

'_So cool... and amazing._' An image of Tazuna and his mother soon replaces the image.

'_And so strong..._' He pushes himself to his feet as he sees an image of his stepfather and Naruto. The images blur and vanish as Inari clenches his fists to his sides, biting his lip with a determined resolve. '_Will I... be able to become strong like them someday too, dad?_'

**...**

"Heheh... lookin' at yer pretty skin makes me wanna cut it." The eye-patch wearing thug purrs as he walks closer to Tsunami.

His beanie wearing companion rolls his eyes and none too gently shoves the woman, "Walk faster, damn it."

"Hey! Wait!" a voice shouts, startling the two stooges as they both whirl around.

"The fuck?" imbecile number one glares at the tiny figure.

"Inari! What are you doing?!" Tsunami yells.

"It's that annoying brat again." imbecile number two scoffs.

Sweat pouring down his face and shaking nervously, but he stands his ground. "G-get away from my mom, y-you ugly losers!"

"What the fuck did ya call me, ya little bastard?!" imbecile number one grabs his katana, ready to unsheathe.

"HIYAAAAHHH!" Inari sprints towards them with a battle cry.

"Feh, cut him." imbecile numero dos slowly unsheathes his katana.

"Fuck yeah." imbecile numero uno wasted no time unsheathing his katana, ready to spill some blood.

"Inari!" Tsunami cries out desperately as she watches her son charge at the two imbeciles with his eyes closed shut.

WOOSH.

SLASH.

In a single strike, the two lowly swordsmen widen their eyes as they managed to cut their target in three separate sections. Eyes wide in shock as they watch the wooden log clatter to the wooden platform in huge chunks, the boy's fisherman hat gently floats down beside the slashed wood.

...

...

...

"Sorry I'm late." an unfamiliar voice rings behind them. "But the hero always shows up at the last second!" Inari lifts his head in surprise.

"N-Naruto..." he looks down and sees his mother unconscious, but unscathed beside him and turns to stare at the blonde.

"Nice one, Inari!" he grins and gives the boy a thumbs-up.

"Lookie here... if it isn't one of the loser ninjas Tazuna hired." Imbecile Uno mocks.

"Thanks to you distracting them, I was able to save your mom." Naruto looks down at Inari.

"A-are you going to be alright?" the boy asks hesitantly as he watches the two imbeciles charge at them with their weapons ready.

"Yeah." Naruto reaches for his dark blue holster and throws a couple of shurikens at the enemies.

"Like that'll work, ya fucking brat." Imbecile Uno smirks as he easily blocks the shuriken and Imbecile Dos did the same.

Then Naruto sticks his tongue out while flipping the infamous middle finger salute at them. "Idiots."

BAM!

Two Naruto clones ambush the oncoming sword-wielding imbeciles with a good 'ol solid roundhouse kick from behind. The clones' sandaled feet connects with the back of their cranium with such force, they both cough up blood. Seeing spinning stars and the entire solar system revolving inside their heads, they drop their weapons and slump to the wooden platform unconscious.

...

"H-how'd you know those samurai were here?" Inari looks up at Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto turns to him after tying up the two imbeciles and pocketing a black marker―stolen from Sakura―after drawing vulgar things onto their faces. Sakura told him that he has her permission to draw on people's faces if he feels up to it. "Welp, there's this badly cut-up giant pig in the forest. There's also these cut down trees with sword marks on them and looks like they're heading to your house. I got worried, so I came back."

Inari blinks at him and Naruto rubs the back of his neck, flashing him a sheepish grin.

"U-uh... anyway... Inari, sorry about yesterday." Naruto gives him a nervous laugh. "Sorry for calling you a sissy and all... forget about it."

"!" Inari perks up when Naruto reaches out a hand and ruffles his head playfully.

"You're strong!" with that, the blonde ninja gives him a wide grin and Inari can't help but tear up.

"D-damn it..." he rubs his eyes as tears start to spill and Naruto stares at him questioningly. "I-I-I decided... n-not to c-cry anymore... Y-you're going t-t-to call m-me a crybaby a-and l-laugh at me..." he sniffs, trying to prevent the tears from leaking as he rubs them away.

"What're you talking about?" Naruto sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets.

"H-huh?" Inari looks up at him as his tears start to dry, tear tracks forming down his cheeks.

...

...

"..." Naruto lifts his chin up and puts his arms behind his head, grinning at the little boy in front of him. "It's okay to cry... when you're happy!"

His eyes widening in shock before more tears comes pouring out and Naruto briskly turns his back to look at the tied up and unconscious imbeciles. "Well..." Naruto scrutinizes them, "If they attacked here... then the bridge could be in danger!"

Then turning to acknowledge Inari, "I can count on you here, right?"

Rubbing his eyes, "...Yeah."

"Man, sure is tough being a hero!" Naruto grins as he takes off towards the bridge, leaving Inari feeling better than ever.

"It sure is!" the boy agrees, mirroring Naruto's grin.

* * *

**Omake: (What if this happened, instead?)**

...

...

...

_**Oh great... here comes the drama.**_

"W-Why Haku? Why?" Sakura stares at the masked boy, her face full of rushing emotions. Unshed tears threatening to spill from her misty eyes. She ignores the suffocating mist pushing against her body and her team and Tazuna. Instead, she solely focuses at the figure standing next to a skeptical Zabuza. "H-how could you... do this to me?" She asks desperately, her expression filled with sorrow and pain and pity. "My poor heart..." she whispers longingly.

"..." Haku did not respond while Zabuza raises a questioning brow at his student.

"Do you know her or something, Haku?"

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Tazuna blanches at her display of womanly emotions and her chicken ass-haired teammate mutters something along the lines of 'Women...'

"-Sniff- I can't believe... you would betray me like that..." Sakura sighs dramatically, dropping her arms to her sides in surrender. Then she lifts her quivering chin to stare down Haku with such defiance. "I offered you friendship and this is how you repay me? Taking my heart away into your manipulating hands and then throwing it down to the ground and stamping on it until it is nothing, but a squishy jelly-like crimson substance. It's like... it's like... stabbing me through the heart, twisting and pulling the blade slowly. Such excruciating pain...! Then rip the still beating organ from the hollow of my chest, holding it out for everyone to see. Then clenching your fist around my heart firmly and painfully as I fall to my knees in agony. Tears streaming down my face like a gushing waterfall...! All I can do is watch helplessly as you break and shatter my heart into millions of tiny little pieces that can never be picked up. Ever. Again."

...

...

...

"What the hell, Sakura? Are you high? I don't think this was a part of Kishi's script." Sasuke deadpans, giving her a look. Then he gestures towards Haku and Zabuza, "We're supposed to kick their asses. I was going to fight against Haku, get beaten, but I managed to activate my Sharingan. Forcing him to use his kekkei genkai against me and I end up losing the fight and then Naruto shows up to kick his girly-boy ass for me." He crosses his arms at her in disdain.

Sakura scoffs at him, "I know that... wait... did you just..." she narrows her eyes angrily, striding towards her duck butt-haired teammate. She jabs a finger at his chest, glaring at him. "You did NOT just break down the fourth fucking wall! That is supposed to be my job! Did you not read chapter tres?! My intro clearly says that it's my job giving out motivational/friendship speeches and breaking down fourth walls! IT'S MY JOB, Uchiha! Do not take it away from me!" She screams at his face and Sasuke immediately backs away in fear.

"Okay, okay... geez, calm down, women... and their problems..." he mutters under his breath, holding up his hands.

"What the fuck did you just say to me, you lil' sexist bitch? You're fuckin' dead kiddo." Sakura cracks her knuckles angrily, her fists glowing a dangerous shade of pink.

"U-u-u-u-uh... n-n-nothing...?" the raven-haired boy stutters in horror, looking away from her as he helplessly stares at Kakashi and Tazuna, begging for help.

Kakashi shakes his head while forming an X-sign and mouths to him, 'This is entirely your fault. You brought this upon yourself and I'm not getting involved.'

"Bastard..." Sasuke bites his lip then turns to the elderly man.

Tazuna runs a finger around his throat before popping a bottle of saké and chugging it down like it's not even vodka.

"..." Sasuke sweat drops at the man's actions.

Finally, he stares at Haku and Zabuza. However, the two watch the scene unfold with interest. "Hell yeah! Finally some action! I don't even need to read my _Icha Icha Paradise_." the masked swordsman smirks.

"...How unfortunate, boy. You shall now suffer her wrathful fury. I, for one, would not want to make an enemy out of your coral-haired teammate." Haku replies simply, watching Sasuke shudder in fear as he tries to back away from Sakura.

"SSSSHHHAAAAANNNNAAAAARRRROOOOOOOOOO, MOTHERFUCKER!" With a single punch brought with such lightning speed, Sakura sends the cowering Uchiha flying meters into the air.

"Well, that escalated quickly..." Zabuza lets out an impressed whistle as he watches the blurry blue dot vanish into the monochrome sky.

Haku crosses his arms in satisfaction while watching the pink-haired girl huff and turn her back. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..."

"Indeed..." Zabuza hums in agreement.

* * *

**Hurr-durr... new chapter. Finally. I'm so sorry for not updating! I'm finally back from my vacation, like... two weeks ago. But I was so exhausted from my trip and an international flight with connecting flights are so exhausting! Anyway, this chapter starts off with the first part of the bridge battle and it's not a long chapter. But... I hope to write the next chapter much longer, so yeah... Also, sorry for such a weird omake! It was very random and I wrote it in a rush so... **

**Anyway, I apologize for not updating earlier, but... due to some stuff happening... I couldn't. But I'm back! However, school will soon start for me next week, so I don't know when the next chapter will be. Hopefully before the 26th! My internal clock is still messed up and I'm worried with school right around the corner and I still have things to study so... it might be a little while before the next update, but I'll try. Ja ne. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A slightly AU-ish fanfic with a somewhat OOC Sakura. This is a mostly Sakura-centric fiction that focuses on her and the decisions she makes. Of course, this is my take on time travel. Sounds cliché, but hey, my brain is telling me to go ahead and write this. **

***Warning*: terrible humor up ahead, some bad/coarse language, an out of character Sakura with a very insane and sarcastic but more mature Inner-Sakura, attempts of time travel, maybe some plot holes and things/circumstances not explained by the author, and perhaps some terrible characterization of certain characters, and maybe some cliché references used, using some references from other types of work and literature, and maybe some breaking of fourth walls, and terrible naming of chapters/titles, a slightly CRACK!Fic, terribly written fight scenes, with violence and blood included, and my fail attempts at humor. **

**Disclaimer*: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden both anime and manga. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto himself. The story image is not mine, it belongs to the rightful owner. Also, I do not own any quotes directly used from the anime and manga or any other types of work and literature. **

**~Any similarities to characters, settings, scripts, or stories from other pieces of literature or media are purely coincidental. However, ©This story belongs to me, Whimsical Gypsy.**

* * *

Ch. 9: Battle at the Bridge of Dreams!

* * *

CLASH.

CLANG.

SPLASH.

WOOSH.

Sakura watches the battle between Sasuke and Haku with a calculating gaze. Her beryl eyes cold and focused as droplets of water and the clashing of metal rages on. She barely acknowledges her instructor's order with a slight nod.

"Sakura, stay by Tazuna's side!" Kakashi orders, stepping in front of her in a protective stance. "And don't do anything rash!" he adds for good measure to which Sakura rolls her eyes.

_**...There's no guarantee that we won't be doing anything rash anytime soon, Kaka-sensei... **_

Inner-Sakura smirks evilly to herself and Sakura grunts in agreement. _...There's no guarantee that the two of them would survive... either way... _She briefly glances towards Zabuza and Haku. Inner purses her lips in a thin line, yet did not voice her opinion on the matter. _Let's just focus on protecting Tazuna and watch Sasuke's battle for now. _Sakura turns her head to acknowledge Tazuna's presence and the elderly man gives her a stiff nod, his expression grim.

"Oh my... your agility is almost as good as mine..." Haku carefully observes his opponent, blocking Sasuke's kunai with a senbon needle. He slowly lifts his left hand in a seal, "However..." Haku positions his free hand to his masked face and forcefully stomps his sandaled feet on the concrete below.

Sakura widens her eyes as she senses a spike of foreign chakra and watches in amazement and horror as the water that surrounds them raise from the ground and slowly forms into hundreds of sharp needles. Their prickling edges glinting ominously, forming a spherical arc that surrounds their intended target.

"Water needles..." Sakura mutters under her breath as she eyes the dangerous floating needles. Kakashi widens his eyes as tiny spikes of aqua heads towards Sasuke with incredible speed, splashes of water burst as they propel forward.

Sasuke shuts his eyes close and concentrates on his chakra, sending them to the soles of his feet. With a quick burst of chakra, he pushes against the solid ground and feels his chakra push him upwards. Haku quickly jumps away as hundreds of prickling needles burst into an explosion. Sending splashes and droplets of aqua spraying everywhere, Haku surveys the area for any signs of his opponent.

'_He vanished?!_' Surprised, the masked ninja barely dodges a barrage of shuriken heading towards him. Easily evading all the deadly projectiles and skidding to a halt as a stray shuriken bounces off the bridge's metal railings, Haku lifts his head at the sound of the familiar voice.

"You're pretty slow. From now on, you'll only be able to run from my attacks." Sasuke smirks, holding a kunai to his back.

Whipping around to block the sharp blade, Haku counters with his senbon needles. Sasuke, on the other hand, grits his teeth and knocks the needles from his opponent's grasp. Catching Haku off-guard, he ducks towards the ground as Sasuke launches a kunai towards his face. Only for the haughty Uchiha genius to lift his left knee and send a powerful kick, connecting with his jaw, sending Haku flying meters towards a shocked Zabuza.

"Tsk!" the masked boy easily recovers from the assault and wipes the blood staining his ivory mask. He lands gracefully just a meter in front of the swordsman in a squat.

"Looks like I'm faster than you..." Sasuke lowers his foot and stares his opponent down with a defiant stare.

_Che... what a show off._ Sakura frowns, but quickly schools her features into a nonchalant expression. Regarding their battle with a cool façade as she stands beside Tazuna.

"Now that won't do..." Kakashi gives Zabuza an apathetic stare, "I can't have you underestimating my team by calling them "brats." After all, Sasuke is the Hidden Leaf Village's strongest and number one rookie ninja."

"More like the number one arrogant asshole of the Hidden Leaf Village. That should be his title instead..." Sakura mumbles incoherently.

"...Our lovely pink-haired lady, Sakura, is the brightest and the most insightful in the village." Kakashi continues and Sakura raises a brow at his description.

_**He should have said... the most intelligent and the most beautiful kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village! **_

Ignoring Inner's complaints, Sakura raises her chin in a regal and dignified manner. Indeed, she will show everyone what she is capable of even during the darkest of times. She will become the support and a great asset for her team and makes sure to play her part with excellence.

"...And lastly, possibly the showiest and the most hyperactive, number one knucklehead ninja." Kakashi sighs.

"Hehe... hehe..." Zabuza chuckles to himself, ignoring Kakashi. Then slowly lifting his chin, his face filled with malicious intent. "At this rate, we'll be driven back. Do you realize that, Haku?"

"...Yes, you are right." Haku stands up as the air around them stands deathly still. "We cannot simply have that."

Sakura rears back into a defensive stance as she feels the dark and threatening chakra forming around Haku's calm and composed form.

"You leave me with no choice..." Haku positions his hands in a seal as the water surrounds them slowly raises upwards into a graceful dance. The water taking shape and forming into something more tangible and solid.

Sasuke widens his eyes as the water congeals to form multiple thin layers of ice into rectangles. Each frozen mirror reflects the apprehension in his usually stoic eyes and he clutches his kunai tightly. Surrounded with multiple ice mirrors that seem to magically float in mid-air, Sasuke lifts an arm in a defensive position. Haku takes this chance to glide towards one of the floating mirrors and phases inside the encased glass, surprising Sasuke as multiple copies of the masked ninja are reflected on every cold and glassy surface.

"Damn it!" Kakashi curses under his breath and makes a swift movement towards the floating crystals, but a figure jumps in front of him.

"Hey, now... don't be so hasty." Zabuza blocks his path, "Your opponent is me."

"Ugh..." the silver-haired man drops his head in surrender.

"W-what are these... ice mirrors?!" Sasuke frantically whips his head, only to see the exact images of Haku reflected on every mirror.

"Now, shall we dance?" Their melodious voice chorus with a dark undertone.

WOOSH.

With a swift and precise swing of Haku's arm, a glinting spike grazes Sasuke's left bicep. Tearing the fabric of his dark navy shirt as dribbles of crimson flow from the clean cut. Before the Uchiha can block another assault from Haku, hundred more of those deadly needles whistle by his vulnerable form.

"Wha―kuh...!" Unable to defend himself from the furious assault, Sasuke bites back the prickling pain and covers his face. Kakashi widens his eyes as droplets of crimson fly through the air, the beautiful ice crystals reflecting the glimmering rubies.

"Sasuke...!" Kakashi grits his teeth in frustration, but Zabuza did not budge and gives him a mocking stare.

"Tsk, I'm not letting you slink past me so easily, Kakashi. One wrong move..." the swordsman lazily shifts his gaze towards the pink-haired kunoichi and the elderly bridge builder behind her. "...and I'll kill those two."

**(-_-)**

"Wow... talk about a fast and furious assault..." Sakura blinks stupidly as she watches hundreds of senbon needles attack her teammate.

"A-are you not worried?" Tazuna asks her, his wavering voice filled with uncertainty.

Craning her neck towards him, her eyes filled with such mischievousness that Tazuna sweat drops. "...Why should I? For all I know, Sasuke is strong and he can handle this kind of attack from an enemy who isn't even trying to kill him."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna gulps as he shifts his focus towards the floating ice mirrors hundreds of meters away.

"Who knows?" Sakura shrugs her shoulders in a nonchalant manner. Then in the corner of her eye, she catches a glinting object flying towards one of the mirrors. However, Haku is not the one to be fooled so easily and he catches the shuriken with a single swipe of his hand as he phases out of the mirror, leaving his upper body exposed and vulnerable.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura takes this opportunity to rush forward and takes out a shuriken from her holster. With blinding speed, she throws the sharp projectile towards the masked boy. Haku turns his head in alarm, but unsuccessfully dodges the oncoming weapon. Sakura smirks in satisfaction as her surprise attack proves successful.

CLANG.

"Guh...!" the shuriken lodges into the mysterious ninja's ivory mask and sends him propelling forwards towards the cold, unforgiving concrete ground. Gravity, once again, proves that it is a useful asset upon dragging its unfortunate victims down towards the center of the earth. Gravity can either be your greatest ally or your worst enemy depending on the circumstances at hand.

"Gravity is a bitch." Sakura agrees.

Haku lands on the ground with a bone-crunching thud, but manages to not break any bones in his body and a puff of smoke appears out of nowhere.

'_That stupid idiot... what a show-off..._' Sasuke lifts his head with much difficulty as blood drips from his wounds.

'_The number one... most hyperactive ninja, huh?_' Haku slowly lifts his masked face towards the clearing smoke. A diagonal slash marring the smooth surface of his porcelain mask.

A loud voice filled with such tenacity and audaciousness rings out, "Uzumaki Naruto has finally arrived! Heroes are always late, ya know?" he beams with confidence and pride brimming from every fiber of his being.

_**Naruto, that's so lame and cliché! **_

"Now that I'm here, the main character and hero of this awesome story, shows up late in a grand entrance and instantly..." Naruto poses dramatically as he points a finger towards his enemies with a cocky grin. "...kicks all his enemies' asses!"

...

...

...

Kakashi sags his shoulders and lets out a resigned sigh. '_First he sleeps in, shows up late in a loud entrance and he calls himself a ninja? How much of an idiot is he? His stupidity is infinite._'

Tazuna's left eye twitches in disdain and Sakura shakes her head in amusement.

'_Ugh, that idiot! I want to kill him._' Sasuke slowly lifts himself from the ground, giving his obnoxious teammate a glare.

'_What the hell? It's that stupid brat again._' Zabuza clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"Oh! And... Sakura, thanks for backing me up! I was trying to hit Zabuza, but... my aim was a little off, so... heheh..." the blonde flashes her a million dollar smile before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

_Right..._

_**Oh, yeah! You were so off, Naruto. Aiming for Zabuza my ass. Air flow is not on your side today and your trajectory sucks. LOL.**_

Sakura inwardly face palms and her shoulders shake with laughter, but she composes herself and straightens up like a professional.

Haku silently pushes himself to his knees, head bowed as he stares at the ground. Zabuza turns around and launches a barrage of shurikens spinning wildly towards Naruto. Haku follows suit with a barrage of senbon needles.

'_Holy shieeet! Here it comes...!_' Naruto clenches his teeth and holds up a kunai, ready to block the flying shurikens heading straight towards him.

KLING.

KLANG.

"Kami...!" Naruto takes in a sharp intake of breath as the senbon needles intercepted the flying shurikens and they clatter loudly against the concrete. "But..." his arm falls uselessly to his side as he wonders what the hell just happened.

Team 7 and Tazuna―minus Sakura―watches in confusion as the air surrounding them gives off a foreboding feeling.

Slowly turning himself towards the masked boy, Zabuza regards him in a low voice. "Haku, what's the meaning of this?"

Haku pushes off his knees to a standing position with his back facing Zabuza. His slashed mask concealed in darkness as he simply answers, "Zabuza... these kids... please, let me handle them myself."

"..." Zabuza understands as a silent agreement passes between the two. "You don't want me to interfere, huh? You're so soft as always, Haku..."

Finding strength and the numbness steadily seeping away, Sasuke pushes himself into a sitting position. He surveys the looming ice mirrors before and above him with a scowl across his features. '_Soft? Damn right, he's not even aiming for my vitals! Trying not to kill me, huh? These ice mirrors and throwing needles at me... my eyes can't keep up! Using shadow clone jutsu with these mirrors... they probably serve a purpose. But with me inside and Naruto attacking from the outside... it should be fine._'

...

...

...

A voice whispers to his right and Sasuke backs away in surprise, "Hey! I'm here to save you!" Naruto states the obvious.

...

...

...

"You dumbass! If you're a ninja, then use your brain! Why are you here? Can you not see we're surrounded by frozen mirrors?! God damn it, you know what?! I don't care anymore! You stupid moron!" Sasuke yells.

"WHAT?! I came here to save you and this is what I get?!" Naruto sputters out in disbelief.

'_It's Naruto. Lending his help, but only making things worse..._' Kakashi narrows his eye before staring back at a smirking Zabuza in front of him. '_Using shadow clone is a waste of chakra and he can easily intercept it with a water clone... but, if I go... then I'm leaving Tazuna open._'

Haku wasted no time as he enters one of the ice mirrors, surprising Naruto and Sasuke narrows his eyes. '_That's the real one..._'

"Over here." a voice calls out from the mirror behind him and Sasuke widens his eyes as the Haku in front of him disappears.

"What's going on?!" Naruto panics.

"Fire technique... fire-ball justu." Sasuke inhales and lets out a stream of fire, the flames quickly spread, consuming the floating mirrors.

"I-it didn't do anything!" Naruto shrieks as the flames subside, the mirrors standing solid and immovable.

"You cannot melt my ice mirrors with an attack of that level." Haku's reflection looms above them, the ice reflecting the dying flames.

"Damn it..." Sasuke glares at him.

**(*_*)**

"GAH...!"

"ARGH!"

"URGH...!"

"AAAAHHHHH! I"M DYING! OW! IT HURTS! SASUKE! BASTARD! HELP MEEEE!"

Sakura calmly sits beside an apprehensive and tense Tazuna as she watches the battle commencing between the masked ninja and her teammates. Sipping a cup of green tea with her eyes close as she takes in the wonderful taste of freshly brewed tea. "Ah... such a nice day today..." she hums, opening her jade eyes to stare at the monochrome sky.

"..." Tazuna sweat drops as he watches hundreds of senbon needles attacking the defenseless blonde and the raven-haired boy. Gleaming rubies seem to suspend in mid-air before splattering against the concrete and onto the glassy and smooth surface of the ice mirrors. Dripping and sliding down the shiny surface, creating bloodstained tear tracks upon the glinting crystals. What a beautiful, yet twisted sight.

"A-are you sure t-they're a-alright...?" Tazuna turns to the pink-haired girl casually leaning back on her elbows, her cup of green tea mysteriously gone.

"Meh... they're men. They can take care of themselves." Sakura replies.

"It doesn't seem like it." Tazuna grunts in disagreement.

The air shifts around them and a feeling of dread spreads throughout the bridge.

"That boy..." Sakura continues in a serious demeanor, "...has a bloodline limit. A deep blood lineage passed down by his ancestors. It's something even the Sharingan can never copy. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance. It's impossible to defeat it."

"Like a kekkei genkai?" Tazuna gasps, hearing something similar from a long time ago.

"Humph! Pinky's right. Haku is blessed with the superior talent passed down by his ancestors. That same powerful blood running through his veins." Zabuza confirms with a victorious smirk and Kakashi narrows his lone eye at him.

**(...)**

"God damn it! I'm not dying here! I still have a dream to fulfill!" Naruto coughs up blood as he shakily stands. Fighting off the stinging pain from numerous cuts throughout his body and the prickling sensation of senbon needles protruding from his arms and legs, the blonde defiantly refuses to lose.

Something flickers through Haku's eyes behind the mask concealing his face. '_Dream, huh?_'

"...Becoming a true ninja is difficult." He catches the boys' attention as he lifts his bowed head towards them. "If possible, I do not want to kill you nor for you to kill me."

Naruto gives him a glare and Sasuke fights the urge to smash the mirrors in a fit of frustration.

"However... if you approach me with intent to kill... then I can just as easily destroy my kind heart with a blade and become an emotionless killing machine." Haku states in an unwavering voice. "This bridge marks the place where we fight in order to connect our dreams..."

_**God damn it, Haku! What's up with the tear-jerking monologue, metaphors, and symbolisms?! You're breaking my achy-breaky heart! **_

_Inner, you just ruined it..._

"Me, for my dream. You, for your dreams." He continues as Naruto and Sasuke listen to every word he says. "...So please, do not hate me."

Sakura frowns as pain and sorrow flickers through her jaded eyes and her tough exterior slightly crumbles, but she holds herself together and sets her face blank and guarded.

"I want to protect someone very precious to me. To always remain by that person's side until the day I die. To fight for that person. To make that person happy no matter what. To go to the ends of the world for that person. And to make that person's dreams come true. That―is my dream." Haku adds.

Zabuza and Kakashi listen intently, while the latter somewhat feels sympathetic towards the masked boy and can somehow relate.

"For that, I can become a true ninja. Capable of killing you." Haku threatens, his voice unusually dark and threatening.

In response, Sasuke and Naruto grin at his strong conviction.

"He knows what it's truly like to be a ninja." Sakura whispers sadly, lowering her eyes to avoid anyone's searching and curious gaze.

Zabuza chuckles darkly, "A real ninja cannot be created in a peaceful village devoid of bloody carnage and wars like yours. You can never have the most important thing... the experience of killing."

"T-then... what now?" Tazuna swallows a painful lump.

"I see..." Kakashi sighs, lifting a hand towards his ninja headgear. "Looks like I have to resort to this." He glares at Zabuza.

"The Sharingan again? Is that all you've got?" the swordsman mocks.

Sakura did not bother to listen to Zabuza's ramblings and boring bragging about raising the perfect killing machine to defeating Kakashi and his Sharingan. She glances briefly towards Haku's blurred figure moving with blinding speed and her teammates' attempts at dodging and blocking his continuous attacks. She instinctively moves closer to Tazuna as the suffocating mist gradually surrounds them.

"Sakura, don't take your eyes off Tazuna!" Kakashi yells through the thickening whiteness.

"Alright, stay close to me, Mr. Tazuna." Sakura skids to a halt in front of the elderly man, holding a kunai expertly in front of her.

"Y-yeah..." Tazuna nods as a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.

_Well, shit. We're screwed. _Sakura purses her lips in anticipation as the thick fog completely obscures Kakashi from her line of sight. Her vision diminishes as the mist continues to engulf her and the bridge builder and she resorts to sensing chakra. It felt like hours standing in a defensive stance in front of her client, trying to sense Zabuza's chakra.

_**Sakura, at six o'clock!**_

Sensing a foreign and dangerous chakra a few meters from her blind spot and directly behind Tazuna, she whips around, ready to throw her kunai at the approaching enemy.

Zabuza smirks as he swings his blade in a horizontal arc, intent on bisecting his target in half. Suddenly, a blurred figure jumps in front and Sakura bites back a gasp.

_No!_

"W-what the...?!" Tazuna turns in terror at Zabuza's kubikiribōchō and his eyes lands momentarily at Kakashi's figure standing protectively in front of him.

"Cherry blossom―" Sakura vanishes in a burst of pink and appears behind her instructor, catching him off guard. She rears back her right arm and throws the kunai straight at her attacker's heart. Zabuza's eyes widen for a moment before sliding to the side and evading the kunai whistling past him. Then Sakura pulls Tazuna down and drops to the ground with a low sweep to the back of Kakashi's heel, the silver-haired man falls to his back, but Sakura catches him.

Zabuza's lengthy sword cuts through the air in a sweeping arc of 180 degrees. "Fuck!" he jumps back in surprise, creating distance between him and his opponents. "Heheh... what a smart little girl. Got some quick reflexes there for a Genin." he muses.

Sakura gives him a look before helping up her instructor to his feet. Kakashi sighs tiredly, but gives her a smile.

"Thank you, Sakura." he gently ruffles the crown of her head, purposely avoiding the senbon needles sticking out of her bun.

"You're always protecting us, sensei. So I figured it's my turn this time." she grins and an unreadable emotion flickers through his lone eye for a moment, but his pink-haired student fails to notice.

"Right. Just don't push yourself too much or do anything that could get you killed." he replies firmly.

"We'll see about that..." the swordsman smirks cruelly, disappearing into the mist.

"Anyway, stay with Tazuna. I'll deal with Zabuza this time." Kakashi turns to her before taking off deep into the mist, leaving Sakura and Tazuna to fend for themselves.

"I hope everyone's alright..." the elderly man mutters and Sakura nods her head in agreement.

**...**

"This is...!" Sakura snaps her head towards an explosion of malevolent chakra. Her jade eyes reflecting the dancing and intertwining streams of bloody red and fiery orange rising towards the dull skies hundreds of meters away. Staining her vision an angry hue of scarlet as the nine-tailed fox's demonic chakra bursts out of its host, brushing away the fog within its vicinity.

"Tazuna, this way!" she whispers urgently and tugs the surprised and skeptical bridge builder with her towards the chakra.

_So Sasuke has fallen and Naruto lost control and now Ku―the nine-tailed fox is running rampant!_

Sakura and Tazuna burst through the clearing mist just in time to see Naruto's rampage and Haku's ice mirrors slowly melting. The frozen water slowly transforming back to its liquid form as droplets of aqua drip down on the concrete. The nine-tailed fox's chakra continues to swirl in a whirlpool of burning red and scalding orange, licking away the ice. Whipping around the melting ice mirrors and Sakura shifts her gaze towards Naruto and Haku, standing in the middle and surrounded by the crystals and the whipping tails of the fox.

Gripping Haku's arm in place, Naruto rears back a clenched fist and angrily sends a jaw-breaking punch to his masked opponent's face. Coughing up droplets of ruby and staining his broken mask, Haku flies back from the impact. He skids several meters away, the once smooth and unmarred surface of the porcelain mask now cracked and broken.

_Did he just...? _Sakura gasps in shock as she watches Naruto punch Haku and sends him crashing through his ice mirrors, numerous shards of ice shatter and break. The once impenetrable barriers cracked and shatter upon Naruto's wild frenzy. The ice mirrors are no match against the nine-tailed fox's incredible fury. Sakura can hear the ear-splitting sound of glass breaking and shattering into tiny little shards as she watches the scene in front of her unfold with unblinking eyes.

CRASH.

The remaining floating crystals finally shatter and lay upon ruins of broken shards on the concrete, slowly melting to its indefinite form. As the mist continues to dissipate, Naruto can discern a shadowed figure standing behind the opaque whiteness and he rushes forward, ignoring Sakura and Tazuna's presence nearby.

Crack.

Tiny bits of porcelain fall from his face.

Crack.

Half of the mask breaks and falls onto the ground with a shattering sound, revealing smooth, white skin.

Crack.

Blood streams down his chin as Naruto's footsteps thunder closer to his presence.

Crack.

'_I am very sorry... that I cannot... defeat this boy..._' The mask finally shatters and crumbles away into dust, just like his façade. Naruto pushes through the whiteness and glares angrily at the person in front of him.

'_Zabuza..._' Dull and lifeless brown eyes that stare into death fearlessly, luscious ebony hair styled into a bun, smooth pale skin, and those graceful and feminine features are all too painfully familiar to Naruto. Even if a trail of blood drips down his chin, Naruto easily recognizes the familiar face, just like that beautiful woman from back then.

Sakura did not tear her gaze from the sight as she watches droplets of crimson fall to the ground and the remains of the mask shatters into nothingness upon impact.

Naruto clenches his teeth in anger and delivers a swift punch towards Haku's exposed and vulnerable face. He continues to stand deathly still as his eyes had no fire left in them, an oblivion of abyss as he made no movements to block or evade the oncoming assault. However, Naruto stops his attack centimeters from his face, fist shaking from anger and despair and betrayal.

"Y-you... you're that person from before!" he grits out.

* * *

**Omake: (A different scenario instead...)**

"AHHHH!"

"GAH...!"

"KUH...!"

"ACK!"

"OOOOOWWWWW!"

Sakura sits on a pink and white checkered blanket with Tazuna and a mysterious person on either side of her. Tazuna takes a stick of tri-colored dango and bites into the sweet treat, humming in happiness and satisfaction. "These are good..."

"I agree, mitarashi dango is the best!" A cheery voice pipes up from Sakura's left side. A pair of dainty hands carefully tilting a porcelain teapot and pouring tea into a golden-rimmed teacup with blooming marigolds surrounding the porcelain cup.

"Hmm... what is this tea? It's really good..." Sakura takes a sip before setting the teacup down on its matching saucer.

"GAAAHHH!"

"It's called Blueberry Bliss Rooibos Tea with rich and savory notes of blueberry, raisins, and black currants. It gives off a very soothing and aromatic taste." the anonymous person explains.

"True, it's a little bitter and too strong, but it tastes amazing!" Sakura takes another sip, relishing in its wonderful scent.

"GYAAAAHHH!"

"This one's not too bad either..." Tazuna takes a sip of his tea.

"Oh yes..." the anonymous person sighs dreamily as she sets the teapot down carefully and swiftly takes a stick of takoyaki from the plate as Sakura reaches for a strawberry flavored ice cream mochi.

"WAAAAHHHH!"

"That one is Dragonfruit Devotion Herbal Tea! One of the best!" she continues, biting into the scalding takoyaki.

"Where do you get all this tea from? I've never tried these before. I've only drank green tea, ginseng tea, Thai tea, boba milk tea, and jasmine tea. I didn't know there are so much more exotic flavors to choose from!" the pink-haired kunoichi reaches for a stick of mitarashi dango.

"STOOOOOP IT HURTSSSS! IT STIIIIINNNGGGSSSS!"

"SHUT UP, DEAD LAST!"

"I know right? Next time, we can try out more flavors. And saké. They come in many different flavors too." the anonymous person finishes her takoyaki and reaches for a green tea flavored ice cream mochi.

"Definitely! And plus, I've only tried plum-flavored saké. And that was one time when I graduated from the academy. My mom thought it was better to celebrate my graduation with a bit of alcohol." Sakura grins.

"OUCH!"

"Man, life sure is great..." Tazuna casually leans back as he watches the battle between Naruto and Sasuke against Haku as well as Kakashi staring down Zabuza from a distance.

"Truly great..." Sakura and the anonymous person chorus in blissful agreement, drinking herbal tea and enjoying Japanese sweets.

"WAAAAAAHHHH! I'M DYING! HEEEELLLLPPPP!"

* * *

**Well, school is finally here and even though it's only a month in the school year, I'm already ready to get it over with. I'm pretty sure everyone is already tired of school. Ugh... I feel like a zombie trudging through the loud and crowded hallways everyday as I wake up early and get ready to haul my ass to what I call a hell-hole... school. **

**Anyway, even with my busy schedule and stuff. I'll try to squeeze in some time to update and bring forth new chapters! So, once again, thank you to those who continue to support and read my story! I appreciate all the reviews so far! They brighten up my day and makes this school year a little more tolerable! So, look forward to future updates and new chapters! Adieu~**


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